Why is PH trying to make use of Grab now, asks Najib

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak questioned why the government is now proposing to use popular e-hailing service Grab to replace feeder buses for MRT and LRT.

He said Pakatan Harapan previously alleged that his wife, Rosmah Mansor, was the “owner” of Grab and Uber, another e-hailing service, which exited Malaysia’s market early this year.

“If she (Rosmah) is the owner of Grab and Uber, she would be the most successful businessperson in the country. But this is not true.

“Their previous allegation that she owns Grab and Uber was just to rile up the public and increase their anger against us,” he said on his Facebook account.

Earlier this week, Damansara MP Tony Pua said the government was “in discussions” with Grab but did not provide further details.

Grab has not commented on this proposal.

Najib said the accusations against Rosmah may have started when he suggested that Khazanah Nasional invest in Grab because he saw the local e-hailing company had potential.

“Khanazah decided not to invest in Grab and I respect their decision.

“Of course, they may regret the decision because Grab is now a company worth over US$11 billion (RM46 billion),” he said.

Najib said he had met some taxi drivers after the May 9 polls who told him they were duped into believing such allegations against Rosmah.

“Some of them offered their apologies to me as they see Grab as their biggest competitor.

“The drivers also told me they believed such e-hailing companies would be banned if PH took over but the reality has proven otherwise,” he said. - FMT