After TuJu flop, Lim Guan Eng wants open tender for Malaysian-made Waze rival

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — DAP chairman and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has called for an open tender to develop a new local navigation application as a replacement for the failed TuJu app. Lim stated that TuJu had become a "national embarrassment" and questioned why the private company Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd (PCSB), behind the TuJu navigation app, was awarded the project without an open tender.

He expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, raising concerns about the app's developer, ownership structure, links to former public officials, and the absence of an open tender process.

Lim believes that skilled young Malaysians could create a superior road navigation application if given the chance, adequate funding, and competitive bidding. He urged the government to exercise patience and ensure the new application is proven, tested, and reliable before making any recommendations. Lim also proposed making existing government funding available to local developers working on minimum viable products (MVPs) without requiring them to relinquish equity.

He highlighted existing funding programs such as Cradle Fund's CIP SPARK grant, which offers up to RM150,000 for early-stage innovation, as well as other funding initiatives from Cradle Fund and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), ranging from several hundred thousand ringgit to RM2 million for product development, commercialization, and business expansion.

Lim emphasized that competitive bidding, sufficient funding, and support for local talent would help create a more effective homegrown navigation platform.