PUTRAJAYA, Sept 20 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today revealed that some companies were found to have sold the internet development and upgrade projects they had secured from the government to other parties.

Without disclosing the locations or names of the companies involved, he said this issue occurred before he and his deputy Teo Nie Ching took charge of the Communications Ministry.

He stressed that it is the responsibility of these companies to complete the projects within the stipulated timeframe.

“I’m not mentioning which state, but this has happened, and I’ve asked my team to look into it because we don’t want any delays,” he told reporters after the ministry’s September Monthly Assembly here today.

Fahmi said the issue involves companies awarded projects in several areas but failed to implement them, forcing the ministry to issue the strongest warnings.

In fact, he added, some companies admitted to having sold the projects to other parties, raising questions about how the original companies had secured these projects.

“We have asked them to expedite the process, and if they fail, legal action can be taken. For now, I leave it to the ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, to review and improve the implementation of these projects,” said Fahmi, who is also the Unity Government spokesman.

When asked if the ministry would blacklist the companies involved, Fahmi said it is one of the considerations, given that it concerns the integrity and capability of these companies in fulfilling their responsibilities.

“But the issue is when people complain about the lack of internet, they blame me, YBTM (Teo) and the ministry. However, to be honest, the fault, or part of the problem, lies with the contractors who were appointed, the companies that received the contract for the project.

“Companies that receive projects need to demonstrate their capability, and failure to carry out the projects should lead to stricter and swifter action. For example, some projects were supposed to be completed by December 2022, but to this day, they remain unfinished. How this company was appointed, I don’t know,” said Fahmi.

Earlier in his speech, Fahmi raised the issue of internet access in several areas and expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of internet development projects in those areas, attributing it to the companies’ negligence. — Bernama