KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has called on Putrajaya to be transparent about its plans and direction with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
The opposition lawmaker said it was necessary for the government to effectively manage the Finance Ministry-owned special purpose vehicle to prevent it from becoming a “white elephant project”.
Wan Fayhsal, who is Machang MP, said he was concerned over potential future financial burdens on Putrajaya if the management of DNB, established in 2021 to support the development of the nation’s 5G network, favoured certain parties’ interests.
He referred to talk that Chinese vendor Huawei could potentially get involved with a second 5G network provider, saying: “Another bailout of RM5 billion could be imminent if the government seeks to accommodate certain groups like Huawei into the network.
“Our role as the opposition is to provide checks and balances and advise the government. The government can’t just bulldoze through everything (using) their (parliamentary) majority without listening to our advice.
“We have seen in the past that without proper advice, the government tends to make mistakes or overlook potentially serious issues (and yet), the government has yet to come clean in Parliament on how it will manage DNB.
“Hence, we want to advise the government that if anything goes wrong with DNB, don’t blame us. We don’t want DNB to become another 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd),” Wan Fayhsal said on Scoop’s Trick Lama podcast recently.
The podcast session was hosted by Big Boom Media group chief executive officer Datuk Zainul Arifin, group executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan and group editor-in-chief Terence Fernandez. Big Boom Media is the publisher of Scoop.
Last November, Wan Fayhsal’s fellow Bersatu MP, Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, had questioned Putrajaya’s purported preferential treatment towards Huawei. The Tanah Merah MP had raised the matter in Parliament’s Special Chambers.
In response, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said that a second 5G network provider would be subject to governance requirements on vendor appointments for its network hardware provisions. The government, Teo added, maintains that vendor selection is a commercial decision by service provider companies.
Wan Fayhsal acknowledged that DNB was a good vehicle for improving public internet connectivity and urged the government to negotiate with telecommunications companies to ensure that the public would benefit from DNB’s initiatives.
“Internet connectivity should be regarded as a public utility. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were exposed to how vulnerable we were, especially in rural areas in Sabah, Sarawak, and even my constituency in Machang.
“The internet connectivity in these areas is at the mercy of these telcos. If they (telcos) don’t feel like constructing a tower because it’s not profitable, then the people in these areas will be stranded without any proper internet connectivity, which is unfair to them.
“DNB is not inherently wrong, but the telcos are resistant. The government must negotiate and find a middle ground to ensure a win-win situation for both the telcos and the people.
“This way, Malaysia can prosper and have good internet connectivity, especially with 5G technology,” Wan Fayhsal added.
In May last year, the government announced the transition from a single-wholesale network model to a dual-network model for 5G.
Last month, four mobile network operators (MNOs), namely CelcomDigi Bhd, Maxis Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, and YTL Power International Bhd through YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, completed their share subscription agreements to collectively acquire a 65.1% stake in DNB.
State-owned Telekom Malaysia Bhd is expected to finalise its part of the deal by 21 August, following which each MNO will hold a 14% stake in DNB, with the remaining 30% controlled by MoF Inc, which will also retain a golden share for a designated period. – July 29, 2024