KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has welcomed investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the appointment of her husband’s company to run a proof-of-concept trial for Selangor’s Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) project.
Yeoh, whose husband Ramachandran Muniandy is co-founder and chief executive officer of Asia Mobiliti Technologies Sdn Bhd, broke her silence over allegations of conflict of interest and lack of an open tender that were first raised on social media a week ago.
“Now that the probe has started, I want to see truth and vindication come out of this investigation. Malaysia deserves nothing less,” she said in a statement uploaded on X today.
“Therefore, it would not be proper for me to comment, as it may be construed as interference with ongoing investigations.
“It was for this reason that I had not said anything sooner, as, in my view, the best way forward in dealing with such claims is to leave it to the relevant authorities to investigate them.”
Yeoh also thanked those who reached out to her amid the scrutiny.
MACC last night said it was investigating new information received about the Selangor government’s award of a proof of concept for a transport project to a company run by the husband of a cabinet member.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki had previously said the agency found no wrongdoing in its preliminary investigation into the issue, but further investigations could be conducted with new leads.
Asia Mobiliti is one of two service operators, the other being BadanBas Coach Sdn Bhd, appointed for a ninth-month trial phase of the DRT, which began last November.
Selangor Mobility executive councillor Ng Sze Han has said both firms were not selected through direct negotiations but through a request for proposal prices
Ng also said the firms were chosen by the state as they had approval from the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) to run the DRT, which uses technology solutions.
Earlier this month, the Selangor government received another proposal from Kumpool Sdn Bhd to participate in the process after receiving approval from Apad.
The DRT system is a shared transportation service that groups passengers based on their locations and sends vehicles accordingly. This system can adjust routes on-demand, unlike traditional services that follow fixed routes and schedules. – June 1, 2024