KUALA LUMPUR: The TuJu navigation app was never intended to compete with Waze, Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad said.
He said TuJu was developed with private app developers to upgrade MHA's Traffic Management Centre.
"Currently, we are not an app meant to compete with or be similar to Waze," he told the New Straits Times.
Last Wednesday, the government barred civil servants from using Waze, citing concerns over government information security and the potential misuse of users' personal data by the Israeli regime.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office said the decision took into account Waze Mobile Ltd's role as a data controller and its incorporation and operations under the laws of the country concerned.
The measure was intended to protect sensitive government information and citizens' personal data from potential exploitation that could threaten national security and sovereignty.
Hasni said TuJu operated only on toll and federal highways and was still under development.
"To expect TuJu to cover navigation on all roads in the country, it does not have the capacity," he said.
Users have complained about system failures and a lack of user-friendly features.
Despite a surge in downloads to more than 800,000, TuJu has fallen short of motorists' expectations.
A review found that the application, jointly developed by MHA and Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd, was plagued by technical problems.
Hasni said motorists travelling on toll highways could use TuJu to check rest and service areas, identify available amenities, view emergency contacts and track traffic bottlenecks or accidents along their route.
He also said TuJu was an open platform with no sensitive security issues.
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