KUALA LUMPUR: The government should hold an open tender to develop a local road navigation app as an alternative to Waze, following criticism of TuJu's performance.
DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng said the appointment of Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd, the private company behind TuJu, raised questions about the lack of an open tender and warranted an explanation.
He said the app had drawn public criticism, with questions also raised about its developer, ownership, links to former civil servants and how the project was awarded.
"The government should open a tender so that capable local companies, especially those owned by young people, have a fair opportunity to develop a better navigation app.
"I am confident that many young Malaysians have the talent to produce a better road navigation app if given the opportunity, sufficient funding and room to compete through an open tender," he said in a statement.
Lim said the government should allow sufficient time to develop and test any alternative navigation app, ensuring it was reliable before being introduced to users.
He also proposed using existing funding facilities to help developers produce a minimum viable product without giving up equity.
These include Cradle Fund's CIP SPARK programme, which offers conditional grants of up to RM150,000, and financing of up to RM600,000 for technology product commercialisation.
He also cited the Malaysia Digital Catalyst grant by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, which offers up to RM1 million, and the Malaysia Digital Acceleration Grant, which provides up to RM2 million to support the development and expansion of digital solutions.
"In addition, the Cradle Elevate programme offers financing of between RM500,000 and RM2 million to support start-ups moving from early validation to the growth phase.
"These facilities can give local companies the opportunity to develop a navigation app that meets users' needs," he added.
Last week, the government encouraged the public to use TuJu, a local navigation app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, as an alternative to Waze.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the move followed concerns over security risks involving users' personal information and movement data when using Waze, which he said was subject to Israeli government laws.
Last Friday, Anwar apologised to members of the public who had encountered problems using TuJu, following feedback that the app had shortcomings and needed improvement.
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