A total of 620,000 households in Malaysia have failed to pay their electricity bills, with arrears exceeding RM1 billion to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) as of September 2024.
This figure shows a sharp increase compared to 2023, when the number of defaulting borrowers was 150,000 lower with arrears worth RM945 million.
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, revealed this during a question and answer session in Parliament, stating that the increase was due to financial problems and irresponsibility of a few borrowers who left the premises without settling the bills.
Selangor recorded the highest number of borrowers in debt, followed by Kuala Lumpur which replaced Terengganu in second place this year.
Kota Melaka Member of Parliament, Khoo Poay Tiong, suggested that the increase in cases reflects the increasingly dire financial situation of households.
He also criticised TNB for taking a long time to restore electricity supply after payments were made.
In response, Akmal explained that the power cut was a last resort, after TNB gave them time to negotiate and come up with a 30-day payment plan.
The revelation sparked a debate about household financial stress and TNB's policies.
Should TNB be more flexible, or is more drastic action needed to prevent major losses?
