He has released a statement that having GOJEK in Malaysia can support the livelihood of local motorcyclist group
Ride-hailing-turned-everyday app unicorn from Indonesia gojek has received an endorsement from Malaysian Youth Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who said in a Twitter video that he intends to bring gojek to the country.
DealStreetAsia reported that the minister believed that having the startup operating in Malaysia can help support the livelihood of local motorcyclist group.
“They need to be defended, they need jobs – that’s a more pressing issue. That is why I met with the founder of gojek, Nadiem Makarim, who have helped create jobs for over two million motorcyclists in Indonesia and hundred thousand more in Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam,” he stated.
The minister further explained that he had met with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Transport Minister Anthony Loke and gained a positive result from the presentation.
The discussion will be finalised in the upcoming cabinet meeting on Wednesday, August 21.
Also Read: GOJEK, Astra launch all-in vehicle maintenance service GOFLEET
Ride-hailing in Malaysia
The statement by the Youth Minister rolled despite Malaysian government ‘s ban of ride-hailing startup Dego Ride services, which also provides motorcycle taxi service.
In September last year, Loke reportedly had said that the government will not hesitate to take action against Dego Ride if it continues to operate illegally. The ministry also maintains its stance against motorcycle ride-hailing services, mainly for safety reasons.
In the Twitter video, Youth Minister Syed Saddiq also explained that his support will not only go to gojek, emphasising the need for a “condusive ecosystem.”
e27 has reached out to gojek to get their statement on the expansion plan.
gojek has launched and operated in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, and had identified Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia as its next expansion target.
Meanwhile, the unicorn’s effort to enter the Philippines has not been successful due to its failure to meet local ownership criteria.
Just last month, e27 reported that gojek has released its new logo to mark its “further innovation and the strengthening of its integrated ecosystem of over 20 on-demand services”.
Malaysia is the home of Grab, gojek’s main competition. Recently, the country releases new regulations that required all e-hailing drivers to acquire a public service vehicle (PSV) licence.
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Image Credit: Twitter.com/@SyedSaddiq
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