'From monopoly to oligopoly?' Critic spills details of firms chosen by Loke to compete with Puspakom

A critic known for exposing corporate fraud in Malaysia said Puspakom's three-decade monopoly is now at risk of being replaced by an oligopoly characterised by cronyism and "Alibaba" deals.

This comes as Transport Minister Anthony Loke defended his selection of three companies to carry out vehicle inspections for the Road Transport Department (JPJ), following fierce criticism on social media of the new players' backgrounds and business experience.

Aliff Ahmad, co-founder of SCRUT, a platform that helps the public avoid falling for car sales scams, said that even the names of the three companies appointed by Loke to break Puspakom's monopoly sound typical of "Alibaba" companies, a reference to non-Malay businessmen using Malays at the forefront of their commercial activities.

He said even more serious is the fact that the companies have no experience in vehicle inspection, which Aliff said is a violation of guidelines issued by Loke's ministry in April 2024.

According to the Ministry of Transport's guidelines on the qualification requirements and procedures for companies wishing to apply for a vehicle inspection licence, applicants should "have expertise in the relevant field and be able to develop internal inspection standards/procedures based on the applicable laws/regulations set by JPJ".

Aliff rubbished a Securities Commission (SC) director's justification for Loke's appointment of the three companies.

Nik Mohd Hasyudeen Yusoff, a former CEO of Tabung Haji who was recently appointed to the SC board, had argued that setting up a "special purpose vehicle", or SPV, was normal and that a businessman could bring three companies under an SPV to meet the conditions for the vehicle inspection licence.

However, Aliff reminded that the main objective was to end the monopoly.

"Citizens are being told a narrative that the monopoly has been successfully ended, when in reality it has been given to cronies. It was handed over to the super-rich. The monopoly was never broken, only replaced by an oligopoly," he said.

Loke recently named Wawasan Bintang Sdn Bhd, Pakatan Petroleum Sdn Bhd and Beriman Gold Sdn Bhd as the first phase of the plan to end Puspakom's monopoly, a goal he has been striving for since returning to head the transport ministry in 2022.

Among the criticisms is the fact that Wawasan Bintang was only established in June last year. 

Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) documents list Marwiyah Marwi, Noriah Mohd Said and Idris Mohd Noh as its owners, who together hold 20 million shares.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Petroleum lists its business as "trading of petroleum, gas and related products", while Beriman Gold is involved in construction works, telecommunications, multimedia and the supply of security systems and IT equipment.

Aliff said the three shareholders of Wawasan Bintang - Idris, Marwiyah and Noriah - aged 70, 54 and 69 respectively, are relatively unknown in the corporate world.

His research revealed that Marwiyah, who has a RM7 million stake in the company, not only does not own her own business but also has no experience in the automotive or corporate world.

He further said Noriah is listed as a director in three companies, adding that she is also linked to a director of Handal Ceria Sdn Bhd, the company that supplies JPJ with EV licence plates, through another company.

A quick check by MalaysiaNow revealed that Rozlan Abu Bakar, a former director of Handal Ceria, is now a director of Handal Indah, a public bus company in Johor. 

Rozlan, who is Pasir Gudang Umno committee member, is linked to Noriah through Prasarana Hijau Sdn Bhd, where Noriah is a director while Rozlan is one of the shareholders.

As for Idris, Aliff said he has a shareholding in Saujana Antara Sdn Bhd, which in turn is a shareholder in logistics company SBS Transport Sdn Bhd. He said this raised questions about a conflict of interest.

"Isn't it conflicted being the boss of a logistics company that owns a lot of lorries?" he asked.

Aliff in his lengthy scrutiny of the companies also provided diagrams showing what he claimed as the web of connections between the individuals involved in the three companies, in particular their involvement in other companies linked to the logistics industry, the sector that crucially depends on their fleets passing the vehicle tests.

Aliff ended his detailed investigation with a quote from American economist Thomas Sowell: "Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest."

MalaysiaNow has reached out to all three companies for their response.