KUALA LUMPUR — Bersatu lawmaker Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor-PN) today lashed out at U Mobile Sdn Bhd chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan over his criticism of the former Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration’s insistence on a single 5G network.
Referring to the Berjaya Corp founder as a “tauke judi” (gambling boss), Wan Saiful said the tycoon should keep his comments business-centric instead of issuing politically charged statements.
“I don’t care if the ultra-rich (Tan) wants to debate from a business or economic standpoint, but I’m not quite happy with his recent statement as those were not the focus points.
“I’d like to warn the tauke judi (Tan) to not run his mouth in giving political comments. My advice to him is to stay in his business work and never try to enter the political arena. You must know your place is not in politics,” Wan Saiful told a press conference in Parliament today.
Challenging Tan to disclose how much he profited from the increase in U Mobile’s share values after the announcement, the opposition lawmaker said that this will reveal to the people why Tan has been “enthusiastically” defending the selection.
“(Regarding the selection), I raised issues on governance, transparency, and U Mobile’s ability to develop the second 5G network.
“I didn’t go personal on U Mobile’s owners, but if (Tan) wants to be rude, don’t be surprised if people look into him and his family members,” Wan Saiful said.
While “not surprised” by Tan’s move to defend U Mobile’s appointment to develop the second 5G network, Wan Saiful said consumers could be moved to boycott the company if Tan continues to touch on political matters.
“(Tan) is one of many individuals who will gain much profit from U Mobile’s selection for the second 5G network; of course, he will be defensive,” he said.
“He should remember that the people at any time can boycott U Mobile services, thus impacting the company directly… Don’t forget that in the business world, the real power is held by consumers.”
Yesterday, Tan claimed that former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s (Pagoh-PN) administration had jeopardised taxpayer funds when it pushed for a single 5G network managed by the Finance Ministry’s special purpose vehicle, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
“RM4 billion has been spent to date and RM12.5 billion more planned through various contracts by DNB over ten years. In total, RM16.5 billion of our taxpayers’ money is at stake,” Tan said in a statement published by Business Today.
He also applauded the current government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH) for making the “courageous decision” to break the DNB monopoly by having the second 5G network.
Tan also responded to comments about U Mobile’s shareholder, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, emphasising the need for responsible discourse based on facts.
Sultan Ibrahim has been a shareholder since 2015, long before his reign as king, and is currently the largest individual shareholder for U Mobile, holding a 22.3% stake.
Tan also cited the company’s revenue and net profit of RM3.5 billion and RM102 million, respectively, in 2023. Its total assets stood at RM6.2 billion, and its share capital was RM2.6 billion. – November 11, 2024