KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) says there was nothing wrong in the Selangor government’s awarding of a contract to Asia Mobiliti, a tech company co-founded and run by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s husband.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said no law was broken since Yeoh’s ministry was not the one awarding the contract.
“There is no wrongdoing if the contract is from an entity that is not related. (The husband) received the contract from the Selangor government, while Yeoh is Youth and Sports Minister.
“There is no relationship between the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Selangor government,“ Azam said at a press conference after the Malaysian Electricity Asset Management and Governance Coordination Improvement Report signing ceremony here today.
Azam added that he did not see anything wrong with the awarding of the contract, but said “it would be different” if Yeoh’s ministry had awarded it to Asia Mobiliti.
He was commenting on Asia Mobiliti’s appointment as one of two operators for Selangor Mobility’s Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project that uses technology solutions for a ride on demand service in selected areas of the state.
Although the company’s appointment was in October last year, it was highlighted again by a social media user with the handle Aduan Rakyat, who questioned the merits of the company’s selection and asked if its award was through an open tender.
The user also highlighted Asia Mobiliti’s links with Yeoh, whose husband Ramachandran Muniandy is the firm’s co-founder and chief executive officer.
In response, Selangor exco Ng Sze Han outlined the state’s process in granting Asia Mobiliti and another company Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd the DRT pilot project.
The exco for investment, trade and mobility said Selangor approved the DRT project in March last year, and then invited the two companies to present their capabilities and proof of concept (PoC) to the state after they were approved by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).
Apad’s approval of Asia Mobiliti as a provider for the Bus on Demand service was given in December 2022, and for Badan Bas, in February last year, Ng added.
The Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) had also approved Asia Mobiliti for the service.
Ng said the state agreed to appoint the two companies based on approval given by Apad so as to follow standards set by the authorities and ensure the safety of DRT service users.
“Following this decision, the letter of intent was submitted to the service operator company on June 15, 2023, with the appointment letter issued on September 20, 2023,” Ng said.
The first phase of the service began in the Puchong and Ampang areas from November last year, followed by Phase Two last January for Hulu Klang and Serdang.
Operating within predefined zones or routes, the system is said to efficiently handle multiple bookings and optimise vehicle dispatching through intelligent algorithms that consider factors like waiting time, travel duration, and traffic conditions. – May 27, 2024