Civil servants can use other apps besides TuJu, just not Waze - Gobind

PARLIAMENT | Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said civil servants can use other navigation apps and are not restricted to the locally developed TuJu app, after the government banned Waze for official duties.

Speaking during Minister's Question Time, Gobind (above) stressed that the restriction applied specifically to Waze and did not require civil servants to switch exclusively to TuJu.

"There is no statement...

PARLIAMENT | Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said civil servants can use other navigation apps and are not restricted to the locally developed TuJu app, after the government banned Waze for official duties.

Speaking during Minister's Question Time, Gobind (above) stressed that the restriction applied specifically to Waze and did not require civil servants to switch exclusively to TuJu.

"There is no statement saying that we can only use TuJu. We can still use other applications, such as Google Maps," he said in response to a supplementary question from Young Syefura Othman (Harapan-Bentong).

Gobind also clarified that the ban, announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, applied only to civil servants carrying out official duties and not to the general public.

"Firstly, the ban applies to government employees or civil servants, as defined under the Federal Constitution. It does not apply to all Malaysians.

"Secondly, it only applies to official matters," he said.

The minister said the restriction stemmed from concerns about data security and legal jurisdiction, particularly because Waze’s terms of service are subject to Israeli law.

"Based on the information I have received, even if we do not use Waze, our movements can still be determined through the application.

"When we examine the agreement, it is clear that it falls under the jurisdiction of Israeli law. That becomes a problem for us," he said.

Gobind argued that Malaysians could face difficulties seeking legal recourse in Israel if disputes arose over the application.

"That is why we have imposed the ban on Waze, specifically because of legal and security considerations," he said.

He also pointed out that, under its terms of service, the application handled data collected through it in Israel.

TuJu still being improved

Earlier, Young Syefura questioned whether TuJu was ready to replace Waze, citing complaints about its performance.

She said she had downloaded and tested the application herself but found it disappointing.

"I downloaded the TuJu application myself, but it was actually rather disappointing.

"We have also seen responses from the public saying that the application is not yet sufficiently developed for use at this stage," she said.

Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi launched TuJu in November last year, and it was developed through a collaboration between the Malaysian Highway Authority and Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd.

Gobind, who acknowledged the criticism, explained that TuJu was originally developed for highway navigation rather than comprehensive road coverage.

He said the application was designed to provide information on highway traffic conditions, toll plazas, rest and service areas, and closed-circuit television footage showing congestion.

However, efforts were ongoing to expand its coverage beyond highways, including traffic conditions on roads leading to major expressways.

"I agree with what Bentong has raised. Many have said that this service needs to be further strengthened.

"This is something we are paying attention to," he said.

Gobind said his ministry would work with relevant parties, including those involved in TuJu and Pintaz, to further improve locally developed navigation services.

"We want to develop better applications. We will look at how existing services can be further strengthened," he said.

He reiterated that the government's decision aimed to address security concerns surrounding Waze rather than limit the use of alternative navigation platforms.