No approval from DPM’s Office for speech delivered at the launch of an optical fibre cable project for high-speed Internet.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said today that Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had never approved the text of the speech that was delivered at the launch of the Enhanced Malaysia International Internet Gateway (EM-IIG) High-Speed Broadband project today.
“News reports quoting the deputy prime minister in relation to the EM-IIG project developed by XiddiG Cellular Communications Sdn Bhd are not true,” it said.
It said in a statement that neither was anyone assigned to read out the text of the speech at the event.
The speech was reported by national news agency Bernama, which has since retracted the story.
The speech was read out by Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, who is also PKR’s Batu Pahat MP, at the launch of the EM-IIG project at a hotel in Shah Alam.
The reports said the RM5.45-billion project encompassed the installation of the world’s largest optical fibre involving a 110,000-km line that would enable Malaysia to have the fastest Internet access speed with the 5G platform in South-east Asia by 2022.
“Dr Wan Azizah did not, at any time, say the government would provide its full cooperation for the implementation of the EM-IIG project,” her office said.
It also said that using the name of the deputy prime minister without her permission is a serious matter, adding that stern action would be taken if such a situation recurred.
“Using the deputy prime minister’s name, without her permission, is not something that she takes lightly.
“Action will be taken if falsehoods like these are repeated.”
Her office also warned all organisations against using or distributing the content of the text of the speech in the name of the deputy prime minister without permission.