Govt improving local navigation app TuJu after Waze ban

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is looking to improve the capabilities of local navigation application TuJu after complaints over its performance as an alternative to Waze, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said.

He said the application needed to be strengthened, adding that efforts were underway to expand its services beyond highway monitoring to provide broader traffic information.

Gobind said TuJu, developed with the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) under the Works Ministry, was initially designed to provide information on traffic conditions along highways, including congestion at toll plazas, rest and service areas, and CCTV footage.

"Its capabilities are now being expanded to cover traffic flow on roads leading to highways.

"I agree with Bentong that many have said this service needs to be strengthened. This is something we are looking into," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He responded to Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong), who asked whether local applications were ready to replace Waze after the government announced restrictions on its use.

Young Syefura said she had downloaded TuJu but found the application disappointing, adding that other users had also raised concerns about its shortcomings.

Gobind said the government, through its GovTech initiatives, would explore cooperation with relevant parties to improve existing services and develop better applications.

However, he stressed that the government had not directed Malaysians to use TuJu exclusively.

Clarifying the Waze restriction announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Gobind said it applied only to civil servants, as defined under the Federal Constitution, and only for official duties.

"It does not apply to all Malaysians," he said, adding that other navigation applications, including Google Maps, remained available.

Gobind said the restriction was introduced over concerns about data security and the legal jurisdiction governing Waze's terms and conditions.

He said the application could still track a person's movements even when they weren't actively using it.

He also raised concerns that the terms and conditions placed the relevant legal arrangements under Israeli law, potentially complicating efforts by Malaysians to seek legal redress there if problems arose.

"That is why the restriction was imposed on the application, specifically in relation to legal and security aspects, because the data collected and coordinated by Israel is a concern," he said.