Young Syefura questions TuJu's readiness to replace Waze

KUALA LUMPUR: Young Syefura Othman, a government backbencher, has expressed concerns about the readiness of TuJu, a local navigation app, to take the place of Waze. After downloading the app herself, she found its performance to be disappointing. Members of the public have also voiced their doubts about the app's current state. In the Dewan Rakyat, Syefura questioned whether TuJu was sufficiently developed to serve as an alternative to Waze, following the government's decision to ban civil servants from using Waze for official purposes.

She asked the Digital Minister if local applications were ready for the task. Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo acknowledged that TuJu needed improvement, explaining that the app, developed with the Malaysian Highway Authority, initially focused on providing information about highway traffic conditions, toll plazas, rest areas, and CCTV footage.

Its services are now being expanded to cover traffic conditions on roads leading to highways. Gobind also mentioned that the government would explore cooperation with relevant parties to enhance TuJu and other local apps through its GovTech initiatives. Importantly, Gobind clarified that the Waze ban only applied to civil servants, as defined by the Federal Constitution, when performing official duties.