Last week, Malaysian drivers were left scrambling after the government urged citizens to switch from Waze to the locally-made app TuJu following concerns over Waze’s alleged Israeli ties.
However, the transition was anything but smooth after many complained of glitches and logic-defying directions that have left them baffled.
‘Not intended to rival Waze’
In light of the much-criticised rollout of TuJu, Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad has stepped forward to offer an explanation.
In an interview with MalaysiaKini, Hasni clarified that from the start, TuJu was never created with the intention of turning it into a navigation app like Waze.
It is not a navigation application like Waze. Our collaboration (with developer Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd) is simply intended to improve our Traffic Management Centre.”
Hasni added that TuJu was birthed with the idea of providing additional service for tolled highway users, providing traffic updates, information on rest areas, locations of enforcement cameras and emergency assistance contacts.
He added that was instructed by prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to upgrade TuJu following widespread complaints.
Concerns over TuJu’s presentation at meeting
Hasni, who is also Simpang Renggam MP, expressed concerns over how TuJu was presented during a briefing to the National Security Council (NSC), notably its association with broader national security considerations.
He revealed that he was absent from the Oct 20 briefing but had read through its minutes.
“I need to establish whether LLM and Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd had clearly explained TuJu’s intended functions during the briefing.
“If the briefing given by LLM to the NSC was misleading, it should not have happened. If that occurred, I do not think it is something we should take lightly.”
Future expansion
Hasni said LLM’s jurisdiction was limited to tolled highways, where it was working to improve real-time traffic monitoring and road safety services.
However, he admitted that its Traffic Management Centre still needs further upgrades as not all highways provided traffic information to LLM.
Hasni reiterated that TuJu was developed to complement these efforts, especially in aiding motorists get assistance during emergencies.
“If you are stranded on a highway, you can use TuJu to find the telephone numbers of people you can contact and the assistance available.
“Perhaps 10 or 15 years from now, we could expand to federal roads, municipal roads and village roads. But for now, the focus is solely on tolled highways.”
READ ALSO:
TuJu Was Supposed To Be The New Waze. But I Ended Up Feeling More Lost Than Ever
