KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — DAP chairman and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng today called for an open tender to develop a new local navigation application as an alternative to Waze, saying the government should replace what he described as the failed TuJu app.
In a statement, Lim said TuJu had become a “national embarrassment” and questioned why Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd (PCSB), the company behind the application, was awarded the project without an open tender.
“TuJu has failed miserably and Malaysians are asking why Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd (PCSB), the private company behind the TuJu navigation app, was given the approval without an open tender,” he said.
Lim said public scrutiny had extended to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, with questions raised over the app’s developer, ownership structure, links to former public officials, the absence of an open tender, and how the project was awarded.
“I have faith that there are many talented young Malaysians who can do a better job in designing a road navigation application better than TuJu, provided they are given the right opportunity, adequate funding and free competitive bidding,” he said.
Lim urged the government not to rush into recommending another navigation application until it had been proven, tested and shown to be reliable.
He also proposed that existing government funding be made available to local developers building minimum viable products (MVPs) without requiring them to give up equity.
Among the programmes cited were Cradle Fund’s CIP SPARK grant, which provides up to RM150,000 for early-stage innovation, and other funding initiatives offered by Cradle Fund and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), with support ranging from several hundred thousand ringgit to RM2 million for product development, commercialisation and business expansion.
Lim said competitive bidding, adequate funding and support for local talent would help produce a more effective homegrown navigation platform.
