S’gor DRT Issue: Any parties can ask for documents - MB

PETALING JAYA: Any parties wishing to verify the process for the award of Selangor's Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project can request for documents or meeting minutes from the authorities, said Menteri 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 told reporters after attending the opening of the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship 2024 and PKNS Masters Selangor 2024 here today.

Yesterday, 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 Mobiliti), whose chief executive officer Ramachandran Muniandy is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Asia Mobiliti has only been given the licence to provide the Proof of Concept (POC) for the DRT project.

Amirudin emphasised that through an open tender process, only two companies, Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd and Asia Mobility, had the authorisation from APAD to conduct the POC.

"So you need to understand and not dispute whether it was an open tender or not (because) from the start, the question itself is wrong and has been manipulated by those who want to take advantage or create issues," he said.

He 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.

Responding to a call from Gombak Setia state assemblyman Muhammad Hilman Idham from Perikatan Nasional for the state government to cancel the existing contract due to claims 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 Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) recently said it had conducted a preliminary investigation into the DRT issue and found no wrongdoing in the matter.

DRT is a new technology that can more efficiently connect users to major public transportation systems, including reducing wait times and optimising routes.

-- BERNAMA