Political Intervention in Water Supply Management Companies in Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

Disruption of the supply of treated clean water is a phenomenon that occurs all over the world. The increase in population, the growth of urbanization, the opening of agricultural areas and the current economic needs cause the demand for clean water supply to increase but the resources that can be supplied are limited. In addition, other side factors such as natural disasters, raw water resources, technical aspects, human weaknesses and political elements also make the management of clean water supply treated to consumers unmanageable and effective. Hence, the study aims to justify political intervention in water supply management in the state of Kedah with a focus on politicking in Syarikat Air Darul Aman (SADA). Four methods are used to obtain appropriate data and information involving library studies, document analysis, face-to-face interviews with SADA senior management and politicians in Kedah using semi-structural questions and participating in the nature of the researchers who have held the position of CEO of SADA. The results of the analysis showed that; naturally as a result of SADA's organizational structure, close ties between politicians and top management, abuse of power by the CEO, poor company delivery system, public perception of society causing influence and political interference in organizations such as SADA are seen to occur. At the end of the study, a conceptual and model framework to enable SADA to become a professional and consumer service-oriented corporate entity by marginalizing political influence was developed for future reference and implementation purposes.