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PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong will explain tomorrow in Parliament the revoked cabotage exemption, after the measure was criticized by technology giants such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook.
The exemption previously allowed foreign vessels involved in undersea cable repair to operate without the need to apply for a domestic shipping license exemption.
According to a Malaysiakini report, a letter sent by tech groups to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said this would slow down any future repairs and create a monopoly as only a local company has the capacity to carry out the repairs currently.
Speaking to FMT, Wee said that “many countries like China, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia have a cabotage policy.
Why should Malaysia stand out? I will reveal everything in Parliament, ”he said.
He also refuted the claims of Seremban MP Loke Siew Fook, who questioned the silent way in which the revocation was made when he raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat on November 17.
“The allegations made by Loke are not true. This matter went through due process and a cabinet note on the matter was even presented on November 13, before Loke spoke about it in Parliament, ”Wee said.
The revocation, which took effect on November 15, was praised by the Malaysian Shipowners Association (MASA), which called the move “patriotic” and said “Malaysia first.”
Its member, Optic Marine Group, is registering a Malaysian-flagged cable-laying vessel.
Tech companies said that before the exemption, underwater cable repair times in Malaysia were among the slowest in the region, averaging 27 days, compared to 20 days in the Philippines, 19 days in Singapore and 12 days. days in Vietnam.
“At a time when millions of Malaysians depend on the Internet for their livelihoods, the restoration of the undersea Internet infrastructure that represents investments of billions of ringgit is unnecessarily delayed whenever a repair is necessary,” they said in their letter to Muhyiddin.
