By Shannon Teoh
April 21, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) changed details of the 1 Malaysia email project on its website between the day it was announced and yesterday, and now calls it a private sector initiative when it was previously listed as a government initiative.
“The 1Malaysia Email project is a government initiative in providing a unique and official email account and ID for the citizens of Malaysia,” the description read on Tuesday.
Since yesterday, the description of the RM50 million project read: “The 1Malaysia Email project which features the domain name of ‘myemail.my’ is a private sector initiative led by Tricubes Berhad to provide a unique and official email account and user ID for interested citizens of Malaysia.”
This came after public outcry over the project that many said was a waste of public funds forced both Pemandu and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to clarify on Tuesday that the government would not fund the platform for secure communication with the public.
As of 8am today, close to 36,000 Facebook users have joined a virtual protest against the project and both #1malaysiaemail and Tricubes are still among the top 10 Malaysian topics on microblogging site Twitter, nearly two days after the emails were first announced.
The unit, under Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala, insisted yesterday that the project is a private sector initiative despite a report by The Malaysian Insider that the government had invited bids last November for a RM50 million government services Internet solution.
Tricubes, which is currently in danger of being delisted from Bursa Malaysia for financial irregularities, said yesterday that the “government is neither funding nor underwriting this project” and it would be financing the RM50 million required over 10 years by reinvesting revenue from the project.
The little-known ACE-listed company triggered Bursa Malaysia Securities’ Guidance Note 3 (GN3), paragraph 2.1(f) last year when auditors “expressed a modified opinion with emphasis on Tricubes’ going concern in the latest audited financial statements for the financial year ended March 31, 2010”, according to a filing made by Tricubes on October 29, 2010.
The same filing stated: “If the Company fails to comply with any part of its obligations indicated above, Bursa Securities shall: suspend the trading of the Company’s listed securities on the next market day after five market days from the date of notification of suspension by Bursa Securities; and delist the Company subject to the Company’s right to appeal against the delisting under Rule 8.04(6) of the ACE LR.”
As a GN3 company, Tricubes has to submit and implement a regularisation plan; appoint a sponsor until it is no longer deemed a GN3 company; retain the services of a sponsor for three full financial years after the company is no longer considered a GN3 company; and announce the status of its regularisation plan monthly.
Tricubes’ latest filing to Bursa Malaysia on April 1 indicates that it is still in the process of regularising its finances.
Chief executive officer Khairun Zainal Mokhtar said yesterday that Tricubes had dropped into GN3 status due to heavy investment in research and development that had “a long gestation period” but did not provide any detail as to the nature of the company’s research work.
In the current version of the page on the 1 Malaysia emails, Pemandu seems to have reduced the scope of the project, removing references to “social networking” and “web development toolkits.”
It now says that Malaysians will use an “email ID” instead of a “web portal” to access the services provided.
“The user ID will eventually be used for any government e-services e.g. e-hasil, EPF statements, driving licence renewals, quit rent payment, etc,” the page now reads.
Previously, it said that “the web portal will serve as a one-stop centre for government services, providing value added services such as social networking, online bill checking and payment as well web development toolkits for citizens and businesses organisations to creatively develop applications.”
The page also emphasises now the non-compulsory nature of the email ID by saying the service is “for interested citizens of Malaysia.”
Najib had announced the project on Wednesday, saying all Malaysians aged 18 and over would be given an account to allow for direct and secure communications between citizens and the government.
Tricubes launched its myemail.my website yesterday, stating that a limited registration will begin at the end of the month.