KUALA LUMPUR – MySJ Sdn Bhd’s CEO-designate, Aiza Azreen Ahmad, has dismissed claims of conflict of interest in her appointment, saying that she had already left the Malaysian Digital Economic Corporation (MDEC) a full month before starting her new role.
Court documents filed in a lawsuit by a MySJ shareholder against the company and several other entities and individuals showed that Aiza and at least one other former MDEC executive were appointed to senior roles in MySJ.
MDEC is a government agency under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, tasked with driving the country’s information and communications technology and digital economy growth. It also has representatives on a government steering committee overseeing the MySejahtera Covid-19 contact tracing app, which Putrajaya intends to park under MySJ.
Aiza said that her previous stint as chief business officer for MDEC has no bearing on negotiations between MySJ and the government.
“There’s no advantage of me being in MDEC before. In fact, we haven’t had the chance to sit at the table with MDEC,” Aiza told The Vibes when contacted.
Aiza was at MDEC from March to December last year, where she was in charge of driving the corporation’s business development and operations.
When asked why she left MDEC after 10 months to join MySJ, she said she believed that she could add value to the company with her skillset.
Aiza also sought to allay concerns over the ownership of MySejahtera, stressing that it is under the full control of the government as stated on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
“An app (on Play Store or App Store) goes through a very rigid review of ownership, especially for pandemic management software,” she said.
“The ownership details on the App Store are not something we put up for fun.”
Foreign investments a norm
Aiza said MySejahtera was developed by Malaysians and not a foreign entity, even if the company filings of the firm that developed it, Entomo Malaysia Sdn Bhd, list it as being wholly owned by Singapore-based Entomo Pte Ltd.
She said it is common practice for Malaysian tech companies to secure foreign investments by establishing a presence overseas.
“It’s something like Grab, you can use it in Malaysia although they are based in Singapore,” she said, referring to Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing firm.
Aiza said she personally hopes that MySejahtera will continue its role of helping to protect Malaysians and those entering the country, but declined to discuss long-term plans for the app.
“We are a tech platform and all the enhancements, as well as modules, belong to the ministry. As mentioned, the app itself belongs to the government,” she said.
“The conversation on vision would require the Health Ministry present because it is their vision we are translating into functions within the app.” – The Vibes, April 9, 2022
