Chong wants Sarawak govt to explain data privacy issues on Qmunity app

KUCHING, April 2: With the recent MySejahtera app scandal revealed, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak has today demanded that the Sarawak government give an account on data security and privacy of the Qmunity app.

Its chairman Chong Chieng Jen noted that the Qmuity app was launched by the Sarawak government amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, when the MySejahtera app has already been widely used in the country.  

“After a few months of its introduction, the Qmunity app has somehow faded into oblivion. 

“Questions that must be asked to the Sarawak government are on how much has been spent on the development and application of the Qmunity app, what will become of the data collected and who has access to such data.

“As private companies are involved in the development of the Qmunity app, what assurance can the State government give us Sarawakians that there will not be any privacy breach issue?,” he asked in a statement today.

On the MySejahtera app scandal, Chong who is also Padungan assemblyman, said credit must be given to the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for unveiling the controversy that involved privacy breach issue, national security compromised issued in that the MySejahtera is owned by foreigners and also that hundreds of million ringgit of public fund. 

The chairman of the PAC who initiated the inquiry on MySejahtera is DAP’s MP for Ipoh Timor, Wong Kah Who.

“Since Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over Putrajaya in 2018, one of the key parliamentary reforms introduced was the appointment of an Opposition MP to chair the PAC.

“With that, the Opposition MP can then set the agenda of the PAC, holding enquiries on any project or procurement of the government and summoning the ministers and secretary-general of ministries to give explanation before the PAC.

“This could never happen before 2018 when the PAC was helmed by a government MP. Had it not been an Opposition MP chairing the PAC, the MySejahtera scandal will continue to be swept under the carpet,” he asserted, adding that such reform set by the PH government will provide more checks and balances in the system and safeguard the country’s public fund.

In Sarawak, Chong pointed out that the state assembly PAC has always been and is still chaired by a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) assemblyman which was the same scenario as the pre-2018 Federal Parliament.   

When the national parliamentary democracy is progressing towards more transparency and accountability, he said the Sarawak Assembly should not remain in its non-transparent and non-accountable modus operandi.

“The Sarawak government is not only keeping Sarawakians in the dark on the Qmunity app issue, but a lot of other issues such as the depletion of capital in Amanah Saham Sarawak (ASSAR), procurement process of the hydrogen buses, construction of the Baleh dam, multi-billion acquisition of Bakun Dam, investments and return of Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS), operation of LPG gas distribution rights, proposed implementation of Autonomous Rail Transit and procurement process of the 300 telco towers.

“All these issues involve billions of Sarawakians’ public funds, but the Sarawak DUN PAC seems dysfunctional and disinterested because the chairman of the Sarawak DUN PAC is a GPS ADUN and must toe the line of the GPS government,” he claimed.— DayakDaily