The Office of Minister (within the Office of the Prime Minister) with Responsibility for Public Affairs and Information has rejected claims by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed regarding access to electricity and water in Swan, saying the community already has access to both services.
In a letter published on Wednesday, the ministry described Mohamed’s claims as “false” and “misleading”, while accusing sections of the media of repeating the assertions without adequate verification.
According to the ministry, Swan, located along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, has access to the national electricity grid and residents are able to obtain formal electricity services.
It pointed to reports in which residents reportedly complained about being disconnected and sought assistance with having their electricity restored.
“How can residents be disconnected from an electricity service that supposedly does not exist, and how can they seek restoration of a service to which the community supposedly never had access?” the ministry questioned.
The letter stated that solar panels were also provided to households that were not yet prepared to transition to the formal electricity grid, allowing them to continue accessing electricity.
The ministry made a similar argument regarding water, stating that Swan has access to a formal water supply system.
It acknowledged, however, that individual households may face challenges related to connections, payments or other circumstances that could leave them without access to the service at a particular time.
According to the ministry, those individual cases should not be interpreted as evidence that the entire community lacks access to water.
“The Opposition leader has manipulated and repackaged the information to create the false impression that basic infrastructure has not been extended to Swan,” the letter stated.
The ministry said the government will continue working with residents to facilitate formal connections to electricity and water, adding that efforts are already underway to bring more households onto the existing systems.
