Transparency International Malaysia says the Selangor government should have carried out a ‘proper transparent tender process’ in the selection of the companies to run the demand-responsive transit system project in the Klang Valley.
PETALING JAYA: An anti-corruption group is calling for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari to intervene in the awarding of a transport-related project to a start-up linked to a minister’s husband.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) said the state government’s decision to award a new demand-responsive transit (DRT) system project in the Klang Valley to Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd through direct negotiations went against “what the Madani government has been preaching”.
“We urge the state government to do a proper transparent tender process before it affects the people’s perceptions of the government’s commitment to reforms and anti-corruption,” it said in a statement today.
TI-M questioned why a tender for the project was not carried out, adding that the issue would put youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh in bad light.
Yeoh’s husband, Ramachandran Muniandy, is the CEO of Asia Mobility.
“It (the issue) will put her in a very difficult position,” it said.
Earlier today, Asia Mobility defended its involvement in Selangor’s new DRT service, saying only two companies in the country were qualified to provide the service it gives.
It said an open tender in the appointment process for the Selangor Mobility programme, a “highly specialised new service”, would have created a monopoly in the state.
“This would have stifled competitiveness and robbed the state of the opportunity to pilot the service in a real-world setting and assess the service providers’ performance over a reasonable period of time,” it said.
Yesterday, Asia Mobility co-founder Premesh Chandran gave an assurance “everything is above board” and that the company would not partake in anything unethical or underhanded.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki said this morning said the agency will not investigate a possible conflict of interest in the appointment of Asia Mobility.
The other company selected for the project is Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd.
