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Kuala Lumpur: The government does not rule out the possibility of completely banning the use of the Waze navigation application in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the move could be taken after the government studied available alternatives to replace Waze, including local capabilities to develop a similar application that could function effectively.
“The Waze issue is a serious matter for us because, firstly, its headquarters is in Israel. Secondly, under the agreement governing the use of the application, if there are any problems, they are subject to Israeli law. That is why I took relatively spontaneous action (to prohibit civil servants from using Waze).
“This cannot be delayed, not even for a day. Some people say we should be patient and conduct checks first, but I say it is clear that if Waze is used, it means that all information is automatically handed over to Israel. So this is a matter of the security of the people and the country, and I cannot compromise on it,” he said.
The Prime Minister said this when met by reporters after Friday prayers at Masjid Al-Mustaqim, Taman Nirwana, here on Friday.
Anwar said that following the ban on the use of Waze among civil servants, he had advised the public to switch to local applications.
“Even if they are not sophisticated, that is fine, we can improve them. It is better to be safe than to hand over state, personal and national confidential information to Israel. That is what is important to understand.
“Moreover, we are among the countries that strongly oppose the brutal Zionist Israeli regime. So, naturally, our actions are being monitored. I believe that from now on, all their influence will be used to attack us,” he said.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the competency of the TuJu navigation application developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), Anwar acknowledged that there were shortcomings with the application.
“Yes, I received an admission from LLM that TuJu is apparently incomplete. It is true that TuJu has shortcomings. But for the time being, I do not understand if this matter has become a controversy. If the controversy is about the weakness of the alternative, I agree.
“But our decision (to impose a partial ban) is not controversial. This is a matter of national security. It is strange that people are still pressing the issue. I know I am being criticised and condemned for acting too hastily and rashly. I say, never mind, if it causes some inconvenience to some people, I apologise. But for me, national security is more important,” he said.
The Prime Minister also said that the issue concerning Waze had been discussed at Friday’s Cabinet meeting.
