Proceed with 5G rollout, ignore naysayers, says Muhyiddin

 

Muhyiddin Yassin said the implementation of the 5G project will ensure 60% of the network infrastructure expenditure will be given to Bumiputeras. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, under whose tenure the RM20 billion 5G project was awarded to Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), has urged Putrajaya to ignore the naysayers and proceed with the rollout without any delay.

He said it was a strategic project that would spur the growth of the nation’s digital economy and the government should not be distracted by the actions of certain parties who were out to oppose the project.

He said this project will pave the way for cheaper 5G services for the people, based on the Single Wholesale Network model as decided earlier.

“Besides that, the implementation of this project will benefit Bumiputera companies, where 60% of the network infrastructure expenditure will be given to them.

“At the same time, the Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) board of directors must pay attention to the principles of good governance, transparency and responsibility in ensuring the proper management of DNB,” the Bersatu president said during his speech at the party’s annual general meeting today.

In a raised voice, Muhyiddin also took to task those who claimed that DNB could become a bigger scandal compared to 1MDB.

“Please lah….don’t insult the intelligence of Malaysians.

“1MDB is the biggest fraud scheme in world history where tens of billions of ringgit were transferred to suspicious offshore companies and disappeared to nowhere.

“What is more unfortunate is that RM2.6 billion was put into the account of ‘Malaysian Official 1’,” he said.

Unlike 1MDB, he said DNB had a clear governance structure managed by professionals, with credible companies using the funds for the project’s infrastructure development, and adding that the prime minister was not a “high-powered” adviser in this company.

He was making an apparent reference to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who had warned that the lack of transparency behind the rollout of 5G mobile technology through DNB had the potential to turn it into a scandal that was as big as 1MDB.

Muhyiddin also said that the 5G rollout had been delayed as telecommunication companies had different priorities.

“In considering profit, they are only interested in supplying 5G services in high-density areas that have high demands for it.

“This means the 5G rollout in rural areas, with low population with low demand, will be stunted,” he said.

“This is the precise reason why the government decided to form DNB, which is fully owned by the government, to speed up the 5G rollout nationwide and offer the services at an affordable price to everyone, including those in the rural areas,” he said. - FMT