(Miri, 26th) A property owner in Miri, Ms. Wang, has been sued by Sarawak Energy for up to RM300,000 in arrears after her previous tenant stole electricity for crypto mining, and has been warned that if payment is not made soon, her supply will be cut off. Feeling extremely helpless, Ms. Wang sought assistance from Sarawak Pakatan Harapan and DAP Secretary Lin Si Jian.
Lin Si Jian revealed that after receiving Ms. Wang’s appeal, he immediately arranged for her to handle the case at his law firm.
According to Ms. Wang, her single-storey house, still under mortgage payments, was rented out several years ago to a tenant from West Malaysia. The monthly rent was RM1200, and the utility bills were never in arrears, which made her feel fortunate to have found a “good tenant”. As a result, after signing a legal contract for the first year, subsequent renewals were made verbally and both parties remained on good terms for three years.
It wasn’t until last year when she received a letter from Sarawak Energy that Ms. Wang discovered the tenant had engaged in large-scale electricity theft for crypto mining in her house, leaving her now saddled with an astronomical RM300,000 electricity bill.
Lin Si Jian stated bluntly that Sarawak Energy’s actions are extremely unreasonable and seriously damage the rights and interests of innocent property owners.
“Even if the landlord has changed the name on the electricity meter, if a tenant defaults and absconds, Sarawak Energy will still refuse to provide supply, justifying it by saying ‘the user of this unit’ has unpaid bills. This imperfect system has essentially allowed landlords to be implicated without recourse.”
“Even if the landlord has changed the name on the electricity meter, if a tenant defaults and absconds, Sarawak Energy will still refuse to provide supply, justifying it by saying ‘the user of this unit’ has unpaid bills. This imperfect system has essentially allowed landlords to be implicated without recourse.”
He emphasized that Sarawak Energy must address crypto mining electricity theft at its root, instead of shifting all responsibility onto property owners. Such practices have severely impacted many landlords and shop owners, leaving them in agony.
“Many people only manage to buy a house once in their lifetime, and now, while still repaying their mortgages, they are being chased for RM300,000—it is truly sympathetic. Unless Sarawak Energy can prove collusion between owner and tenant, such hardline debt-collection approaches are utterly inhumane.”
“Many people only manage to buy a house once in their lifetime, and now, while still repaying their mortgages, they are being chased for RM300,000—it is truly sympathetic. Unless Sarawak Energy can prove collusion between owner and tenant, such hardline debt-collection approaches are utterly inhumane.”
Lin Si Jian criticized the Sarawak government for often ignoring such cases, letting incidents escalate and thereby enabling Sarawak Energy to exploit the public.
“The Sarawak government must take appropriate action; otherwise it will chill the hearts of Sarawakians.”
“The Sarawak government must take appropriate action; otherwise it will chill the hearts of Sarawakians.”
He revealed that he has formally written to Sarawak Energy to assist Ms. Wang with her complaint, and urged the state government to step up its oversight.
“If the government cannot even regulate its own energy companies properly, Sarawakians need to consider how to change the ruling party so they’re no longer treated as easy targets.”
He also urged landlords and shop owners to remain vigilant and always sign legally binding tenancy agreements with their tenants to better protect their own interests.