This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 23, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail did not say the government would extend its full cooperation to the implementation of the Enhanced Malaysia International Internet Gateway (EM-IIG) high-speed broadband project, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said yesterday.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued the statement shortly after news reports appeared quoting Wan Azizah as saying that the EM-IIG, which involved the installation of optical fibre of 150 terabytes, would offer high-speed Internet access at low prices parallel to the government’s preparation towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
“News reports quoting the deputy prime minister in relation to the EM-IIG project developed by Xiddig Cellular Communications Sdn Bhd are not true,” it added.
The misunderstanding arose from a speech Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon delivered at an event yesterday, which news reports said was a text of a speech by Wan Azizah, who was initially scheduled to officiate at the function.
According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s statement, Wan Azizah had never approved the text of the speech or delegated anyone to read out the text of the speech at the event.
In a separate statement, Mohd Rashid also strongly denied that he represented Wan Azizah at the event.
“Any statement saying that I represented the deputy prime minister is intended to mislead,” he said, clarifying that he was present there in his capacity as former Penang deputy chief minister, and not as representative of Wan Azizah.
The member of parliament for Batu Pahat also explained that he had come to listen to the opening speech by the deputy prime minister and was not scheduled to give a speech or officiate at the function.
Mohd Rashid also called on the organisers to immediately set the record straight and clear his name. “If the organisers do not issue any explanation and denial, I will not hesitate to consider legal action against them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Free Malaysia Today yesterday quoted Xiddig executive chairman Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahim as saying that his company had received approval to use the speech from Wan Azizah’s political secretary.
“But last night (Monday), we were informed that the deputy prime minister could not make it,” Abdul Rashid, who is also the brother of former Lembaga Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, said in the report.
Meanwhile, investors reacted positively to news that Mesiniaga Bhd had bagged the RM1.9 billion contract from Xiddig for the commissioning of the core, metro distribution and access network with related support systems for the EM-IIG project.
Shares in Mesiniaga hit limit-up during early trade yesterday, surging 34 sen or 29.31% to RM1.50 — the highest since February 2015, with 187,800 shares traded. Its market capitalisation stood at RM90.6 million.
Mesiniaga announced the contract win after market close last Friday.
The latest contract is Mesiniaga’s second under the EM-IIG project. The first win was a RM27.4 million contract announced on Dec 28, 2018 for the delivery of lab equipment and site preparation for service testing and verification over a four-month period.
A check with the Companies Commission of Malaysia showed that Xiddig was incorporated in 2012 with a RM10 million issued capital.
Abdul Rashid owned a 96% stake in the company, while directors Musa A Rahman and Ahamad Basheer Mohd Hussain held a 1.5% stake each, and Terengganu state government-linked corporation Eastern Pacific Industrial Corp Bhd owned the remaining 1%.