PETALING JAYA – DAP Youth chief Kelvin Yii has urged MCA’s Youth wing to avoid “misleading” the public and to understand the distinction between Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) and e-hailing services.
While welcoming scrutiny of Selangor Mobility’s appointment for its DRT pilot project, Yii noted that MCA Youth incorrectly cited unrelated firms as potential alternatives for the state government.
“MCA Youth is either proving their ignorance or purposefully trying to mislead the public when trying to equate licensing for DRT with normal e-hailing license,” he said in a statement today.
“How can they not grasp something so basic when their own president was the transport minister, and the ‘Bus on Demand’ concept was introduced during his time?
“While any scrutiny faced by the DRT project is welcomed and part of a healthy democracy, any attempts to spin the facts by MCA Youth are irresponsible and shallow.”
Asia Mobiliti came under fire after it was revealed that Ramachandran Muniandy, the firm’s co-founder and CEO, is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Subsequently, MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong questioned why Selangor Mobility appointed Asia Mobiliti for its DRT pilot project, listing various other “eligible” firms that were not given an opportunity.
However, Neow instead listed e-hailing firms, which are not licensed to operate DRT services.
Yii, who is also Bandar Kuching MP, reiterated that Asia Mobiliti’s proposal for a proof of concept (POC) was approved by the Land Public Transport Agency for their qualification in the field.
He dismissed the notion of a monopoly, as the same approval was given to two other firms, Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd and Kumpool Sdn Bhd.
“There is no question of exclusivity, monopoly, or preferential treatment when all companies with the needed license are given a platform and opportunity for their POC – to address the last-mile problem when it comes to public transportation.”
Yii also said the RM2.1 million grant allocated to the companies would only be laid out in stages while being based on submitted data and proof of performance.
Various figures, including Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, asserted that Yeoh did not influence the state’s decision to appoint her husband’s company for the DRT pilot project.
Asia Mobiliti, meanwhile, has said an open tender would have “created a monopoly” in a “highly specialised service”, which only it and BadanBas are qualified to perform.
The firm’s co-founders, Ramachandran and Premesh Chandran, told Scoop in a recent podcast interview that their firm had the merits and capabilities to run the DRT.
Ramachandran also said he had been transparent “from day one” about who he was and his ties to Yeoh, and that he did not believe in doing business while hiding behind proxies.
While Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Tan Sri Azam Baki initially said the anti-graft agency had no issue with Asia Mobiliti’s selection for the pilot project, the authority is now investigating the matter after receiving “new complaints” and “new leads”. – June 8, 2024