Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali has invited Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Maximus Ongkili and the ministry's secretary-general Zaini Ujang to visit any dam in the state and see the actual amount of water reserves.
Azmin also threw down the gauntlet and challenged Zaini to contest against him in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).
Azmin said this in rebuffing statements from the ministry, which he described as fake news, on Selangor dams recording zero percent in reserves and resulted in the recent water cuts.
"I would like to take the minister, I would like to take the secretary-general, to go and see the dams.
"Is it empty or not? After we have seen it, let's throw them into the dam!" a spirited Azmin said.
He was speaking at the Karnival Himpunan Rakyat, held at Stadium Shah Alam today to commemorate the state government's 10th year in power.
There are nine dams in Selangor, almost all of which Azmin said recorded water levels of 100 percent.
Contrary to the claims, Azmin said the state's current reserves stood at 3.8 percent and is expected to increase to 11 percent by next year.
Azmin also said that the claim of zero water reserves, which had been perpetuated repeatedly by Zaini, was political in nature.
"If you want to be a politician, in the next elections come and face me in Gombak, Bukit Antarabangsa or any other seats in Selangor.
"I would like to see if the people in Selangor will punish me or punish him," said Azmin.
He then jokingly asked the crowd, who largely comprised PKR supporters and volunteers from Team Selangor as organiser of the day-long carnival, if they managed to shower before coming.
'BN spreading fake news on water issue'
In his speech, Azmin also described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's statements on the Selangor water issue as fake news aimed to tarnish the state's reputation.
"He (Najib) slammed me for not knowing how to manage water in Selangor.
"From today onwards, we (state government) have started to distribute a pamphlet on the water issue which will answer this fake news," he stressed.
Najib had in the Dewan Rakyat last week said that the water disruption that affected parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur was more critical than 1MDB.
Najib said this in response to Azmin, who had asked whether the 1MDB issue had anything to do with Malaysia's increasing spending to pay interest on the national debt.
In a recent speech in Hulu Selangor, Najib had also highlighted the water issue as one of five main reasons BN should reclaim the state in GE14. -Mkini
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