---------- Fair use for education and research purpose only ----------

NOTE: I found this in a Borneo/Bruni online newspaper. This is from an "Opinion" column. I am trying to get additional information on this. Thank you.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2000

Yet another blackout in village

I would like to express my frustration at the recent power failure experienced by us, residents of Kg Sg Bakong in Lumut area. It happened two consecutive days. The first day, Monday 8 May, it started from 11 a.m. right through to 11.30 p.m., resulting in more than 12 hours of difficulty for us.

It continued again the next day with on/off situation during the day but culminated with the grandest show of non-performance and insensitivity from the Electrical Department by leaving us in despair without electricity from 5 p.m. to around 5.30 the next morning.

The question we would like to ask them is, where is your expertise in handling such a situation? Perhaps we should also ask where are the spare parts for whatever components that have been damaged?

Why is there no proper plan to handle such a hiccup and why it took such a long time to remedy it?

Why was the back-up generator that was used for the first day of the failure not available for the second day?

The power failure has left us living in discomfort during those 2 days and nights. It affected the children's spirit of trying to finish their homework with the use of candles.

Ironing of their school uniforms was out of the question, not to mention cooking rice. We had to boil water the old-fashion way, using the stove.

The worst experience was the sleepless nights we had to endure. We had to open the windows but there was no breeze, only mosquitoes coming in and feasting on our blood.

People might say we are too used to living in comfort and cannot take a little bit of difficulty. But we are living in this so-called new millennium. We should go forward instead of stepping backwards.

It is really unbelievable that we have to experience this time and again as we have done in the past years. For the readers' information, power failure can be expected in our kampong at least 3 or 4 times annually.

When will this stop? The next millennium?

- Sleepless Resident, Lumut

http://www.brunet.bn/news/bb/wed/may17p6.htm

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), May 17, 2000