KUALA LUMPUR – The government has been taken to task over its decisions on official vehicles and the implementation of the nation’s 5G network.
In an acerbic remark, Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai-PH) “congratulated” Putrajaya for saving costs by replacing its fleet of Proton Perdana official vehicles with the more extravagant Toyota Vellfire.
He pointed out the measly RM2.80 or 0.0577% in savings it made from the rental of the luxury MPVs.
“I want to congratulate the government over saving a huge amount of money by switching its official fleet from Proton Perdana to the Vellfire,” Fahmi quipped while debating Budget 2022 at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Fahmi also offered a cynical congratulatory message on Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, being the first area in Malaysia to receive 5G coverage.
“Congratulations on choosing the best place.
“Bukit Tunku residents comprise the very elite of the T20 community, why not other areas?
“This is very peculiar, given that 5G is meant to be used by everyone. Choosing Bukit Tunku sends the wrong message,” he said.
Additionally, the PKR lawmaker highlighted various other issues concerning the government’s implementation of the 5G network, particularly over its decision to award the spectrum to Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
He refuted arguments that utilising DNB solely for the implementation of 5G in Malaysia would be faster, arguing that 4G achieved 92% coverage in the country over a period of four years.
This was compared to the implementation of 3G in 2003, which took eight years to achieve 85% coverage.
“We saw vast improvements when 4G was implemented.
“So, what’s the motive behind choosing DNB to implement 5G?” Fahmi queried.
The Lembah Pantai MP questioned the government’s long-term plan with regard to future broadband technologies, asking if only DNB would be allowed to implement 6G or 7G networks in the future.
“At a time when the government is struggling for revenue, we are giving our nation’s assets away to a company, where I understand telecommunications companies (telcos) would be required to pay an average of RM1.4 billion a year over a period of a decade.
“That means, all telcos that agree to use DNB’s services would end up paying over RM14 billion a decade.
“It’s important for us to know. DNB is the wrong way forward and the decision must be reconsidered,” Fahmi added. – The Vibes, November 8, 2021
