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KUALA LUMPUR: The development of the “flying car” has taken a back seat after the decision of the Ministry of Business Development and Cooperatives to shift the focus towards the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises, says the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“The PAC was informed that the development of the flying car is not a top priority at this time, as the ministry is focusing on the development of SMEs and micro-enterprises,” PAC Chairman Wong Kah Woh said in a statement on Thursday (December 3). .
He said that PAC had submitted its report to Parliament on the development of the project codenamed “Air-Mobility” on November 28 last year.
“The priority change was explained by the secretary general of the ministry, Datuk Suriani Ahmad, when he presented a follow-up action report to the PAC on November 28 this year,” he said.
Wong also said that the Secretary General of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Siti Hasimah Tapsir, also briefed the PAC on the project.
He said the PAC was satisfied with the explanations given by both ministries, including that Venture Tech Sdn Bhd was monitoring its investment of RM20 thousand, which is not being used for the project.
Venture Tech is a government subsidiary under the Industry-Government of Malaysia for High Technology.
Wong said that based on an investment agreement with Venture Tech, the company’s RM20 thousand cannot be used for the development of the “flying car.”
He also said that PAC was satisfied with the Auditor General’s explanations of his audit on Venture Tech, which showed that the company had not used RM20 thousand to invest in the project.
Earlier, the Minister of Business Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said that the project would be undertaken by the private sector, as the government’s priority was to help entrepreneurs overcome the economic consequences of the Covid pandemic. -19.
He also said that “flying car” was a generic term and that the correct context and term would be “air mobility” or “urban mobility” project.
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