MELAKA, Oct 25 — The government is taking into account national security and sovereignty concerns in considering a restriction on the use of the Waze navigation application among civil servants, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said the move was not intended to impose a blanket ban on Waze but took into account the risks of monitoring the movements of government officers, particularly those handling national security matters.
“I want to explain why the issue of Waze was raised. First, this is not merely about the Waze application but its connection with a company headquartered in Israel.
“Second, there is the question of legal jurisdiction should a dispute arise with the company. In certain circumstances, agreements involving international companies can raise questions about which courts have jurisdiction to resolve disputes,” he said.
He was speaking at the announcement of candidates and launch of the PH Melaka election machinery for the Melaka state election at Stadium Hang Jebat here yesterday.
Also present were DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, PKR vice-president and PH election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, and PH Melaka chairman Datuk Seri Adly Zahari.
Anwar said any further decision on a blanket ban on Waze would only be made after assessing whether existing alternatives had sufficient capabilities.
Acknowledging shortcomings in the implementation of measures related to Waze, he said he had taken note of public criticism, including concerns about the performance of local alternative navigation application TuJu, which he acknowledged still had shortcomings that needed to be addressed.
“I am not saying that the decision made previously was the most perfect one. There is still room for improvement.
“However, we also cannot leave considerations of security and national interests to external parties without assessing the risks. If there is a better alternative, the government will study it,” he said.
Anwar said the government must ensure that any measures taken did not compromise Malaysia’s stance on Israel’s actions or undermine the country’s interests.
He said Malaysia, as a sovereign nation, had the right to determine its own position, including on the issue of Palestine.
On the cost of living, Anwar stressed that the government would not raise the price of RON95 petrol from RM1.99 per litre for as long as the Madani Government held the mandate to govern, despite a significant increase in global crude oil prices.
He said the government had chosen to absorb the higher costs to prevent the public, particularly low- and middle-income groups, from bearing the additional burden of a petrol price hike.
“It is better for the government to bear the burden than to burden the people,” he said, stressing that protecting the people’s welfare would remain a key consideration in policymaking.
At the event, Anwar announced the 21 candidates who would represent PH in the Melaka state election, scheduled for Nov 14. — Bernama