I live in Selangor state, where people here enjoy free water for
the first 20 cubic meters. My monthly water bills have been
reading negative (yes, negative) RM21 because I had continued to
pay about RM7 every month for three months, without realizing
that when the opposition parties gained control of Selangor,
they had proclaimed free water for all Selangor citizens. In
other words, I had overpaid my (free) water for three months.
Silly me.  Should water really be free? (photo from
airuntukrakyat.net)  I have also seen billboards around, setup
by the opposition parties, that essentially screamed, “Water
should be free because water is our right”.  While I agree that
water is our right, I am uncomfortable with the idea that water
should thus be free (even if it is free up to 20 cubic meters).
The problem when water is given free or heavily subsidized is it
makes people wasteful in water use and oblivious to the scarcity
and importance of water.  No one would disagree that water is
absolutely crucial to life.