The company embroiled in the latest crony allegation, Asia Mobiliti Technologies Sdn Bhd has come out defending its appointment as one of Selangor’s two demand-responsive transit (DRT) service operators, after criticisms were raised over the selection process.
The company which is linked to Youth And Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s husband in a statement, said that only one of two companies in the country qualified to provide the service — the other being Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd, which operates Mobi.
The company said while it regularly bids for tenders like any competitive business, an open tender of a “highly specialised new service” would have resulted in a monopolistic situation. As such, this was why both companies were offered to take up the project instead of just one it said.
“(An open tender) would have stifled competitiveness and robbed the opportunity for the state to pilot the service in a real-world setting and assess the performance of the service providers over a reasonable period.
“It must be noted that the appointment is only for a period of nine months and required extensive investment from both service providers in terms of procuring vehicles, hiring drivers, continuous optimisation, and development of the technology that powered the service.
“The state received the best value for its investment and provided the opportunity for two companies to prove themselves and design a new service for the state, which is arguably the first of its kind state-programme anywhere in Southeast Asia,” it said.
The company also lambasted the critics and described the recent accusations as an unsubstantiated attack against a Malaysian technology startup. “Being a highly transparent and ethical business, which is an extension of the personal values of our co-founders, we abhor collusion and anti-competitive practices by any party, especially government agencies and corporates,” it said.
