PETALING JAYA: Any parties wishing to verify the process for the award of Selangor’s Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project can make a request for the relevant documents or meeting minutes from the authorities, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said his administration is always open to sharing such information without needing to “hide” anything.
“There is no problem because we have the freedom of information (enactment) that allows them to obtain documents. There is nothing unusual about it.
“We have the House (state assembly) committee and we can make the information available.
“They can even request the meeting minutes, which also involved the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad),” he said after attending the opening of the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship 2024 and PKNS Masters Selangor 2024 here yesterday.
On Wednesday, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) urged the Selangor government to provide full details on the appointment of Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd.
Asia Mobility Technologies’ chief executive officer Ramachandran Muniandy, is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Amirudin clarified that Asia Mobility Technologies has only been given the licence to provide the Proof of Concept (POC) for the DRT project.
He emphasised that only two companies, Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd and Asia Mobility Technologies, had the authorisation from Apad to conduct the POC.
“You need to understand and not dispute whether it was an open tender.
“(This is because) from the start, the question itself is wrong and has been manipulated by those who want to take advantage or create issues,” Amirudin added.
Amirudin said that if one of the companies was dropped during the POC process, there would be no comparison to determine which company could provide the best service, Bernama reported.
Responding to a recent call from Gombak Setia assemblyman Hilman Idham – who is from Perikatan Nasional – for the state government to cancel the existing contract due to claims that it was awarded without an open tender, Amirudin said that Prasarana and Kumpool Sdn Bhd would be invited to conduct a POC once they receive authorisation from Apad.
The nation’s anti-graft agency, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), recently said it had conducted a preliminary investigation into the DRT issue and subsequently found no wrongdoing in the matter.
DRT is a new technology that can connect users to major public transportation systems in a more efficient manner, including by reducing wait times and optimising routes.
In a media statement later yesterday, Hilman said questions are still being raised on the process through which the DRT award was made despite the two explanatory media statements issued by the Selangor executive councillor for investment, trade and mobility, Ng Sze Han.
Hilman questioned Ng’s reasoning and explanation in regards to Asia Mobility Technologies’ involvement in the scheme of things.
According to Hilman, he found that Ng’s replies were inconsistent.
“He still failed to answer many basic questions with precise information,’’ said Hilman, adding that Ng has to answer the questions put to him transparently and responsibly.
Hilman asked Ng, who had claimed that the company’s appointment was through an Request-for-Proposal (RFP) and not direct negotiations, why the RFP was not implemented through an open tender as stipulated in the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto.
“Did the state government implement the RFP process openly or through invitation only and how many companies participated in the RFP?” he asked in the media statement.
Hilman also wanted to know when the RFP process was initiated and how long the said process took.
Hilman also prompted Ng to list how many companies were invited and what the criteria to be invited were if the RFP was conducted via invitation.
“The DRT is indeed a new model of service but it is not something unfamiliar in the transportation industry, especially in e-hailing companies.
“Hence, were e-hailing companies that were already in operation with thousands of vehicles and drivers not qualified to be considered as well?’’ asked Hilman.
He added that Syarikat Kumpool, which Ng said was the third and latest company to be licensed by Apad, is an example of an e-hailing company that had easily obtained Apad approval to participate in the POC.
Hilman then urged the Selangor state government to be transparent and responsible when dealing with the matter as the DRT project involves more than RM4mil from the state coffers.
Meanwhile, MCA Youth Chief Ling Tian Soon urged Yeoh to explain whether the DRT project was awarded to her husband’s company through open tender or a direct negotiation.
“We only want to ask if Yeoh’s family member obtained the contract from open tender or (if it was) from (a) direct award.
“If it was from an open tender, please explain to the public the procedures that were taken,” he said during the launching of the One Belt One Road Trade Expo 2024 here on May 30.
Ling added that MCA Youth representatives had made a police report on Wednesday night on the matter.
“We will let the police investigate,” he said.
