KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — DAP MP for Bagan Lim Guan Eng has described the locally developed Tuju navigation app as a “national embarrassment,” calling for accountability over its rollout as a Waze replacement.
In a press statement issued today, Lim said that whoever convinced Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that Tuju was technologically adequate should be punished.
According to Lim, user feedback indicates that relying on the app currently leaves users worse off, and he has received complaints regarding its ineffectiveness.
“Malaysians support replacing Waze applications that endanger security risks concerning information and data on citizens’ movements, when it is subject to the laws of the Israeli government, but not an application that is defective at best and at failure at worst,” he said.
While acknowledging support for protecting national security interests, Lim stressed that proper due diligence and stringent testing are necessary to ensure any replacement can match Waze’s basic navigation functions.
He also questioned the cost of developing the app and whether its designers had sought expert advice from professionals in the US, Europe, China or Japan.
Lim stated that the Prime Minister had been “wrongly advised” on the matter.
He urged Anwar to return to the drawing board and task the National Cyber Security Committee (NSC) with developing a vastly improved version of Tuju.
“How can the NSC be expected to do its job to ward off evolving cyber threats, strengthen the nation’s preparedness and digital sovereignty when it cannot even fulfil users’ road navigation needs?” he asked.