On Monday, Youth and Sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman proposed to introduce Go-Jek, Indonesiaâ€™s motorcycle-based ride-hailing service, to Malaysia.

Then, just two days later, the young minister announced that the Cabinet made a unanimous decision to approve the move.

Picture credit: Reddit

Alhamdulillah!

Kabinet sebulat suara meluluskan modal Ekonomi Gojek-DegoRide. Terima kasih kepada semua yang membantu dalam merealisasikan impian ini, khususnya YAB @chedetofficial & Menteri Pengangkutan, Anthony Loke. Letâ€™s work even harder for the Youths!#Gojek#YouthPower pic.twitter.com/ZM2al2cRax â€” Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) August 21, 2019

“Praise to God! The cabinet unanimously approved the Gojek-DegoRide proposal. Thanks to everyone who helped make this dream come true, especially YAB @chedetofficial & Transport Minister Anthony Loke.”

Many Malaysians were happy with the plan and impressed at how fast Syed Saddiq was making changes in the country.

I’m really impressed with Syed Saddiq not just because of his hustle, but the strategy he’s employing Shooting 4 achievable targets without lofty grand designs. It’s the political capital these small policy changes accrue over time that will lay the groundwork for bigger goals. â€” Rohan Javet Beg (@RohanBeg) August 20, 2019

Picture credit: Twitter

Well done. 👍👏👏👏 At least something positive after a few weeks of negativity. Need more projects to help the common rakyat then only concentrate on mega project that makes the rich richer. â€” R Nair (@Countrynair) August 21, 2019

ko je la jadi pm https://t.co/32yj6D4k6O â€” hana🌈 (@pepekthefrog) August 18, 2019

“You just become the Prime Minister la“

However, it looks like not everyone is grateful for the change.



Taxi drivers have voiced that the government’s decision to approve Go-Jek services in the country will affect their livelihood.



Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia (GTSM) president Kamarudin Mohd Hussain said that the decision to approve the proposal should not have been made without first consulting the countryâ€™s taxi drivers.

Picture credit: Malay Mail

â€œThis decision will result in the loss of the taxi driver’s income and livelihood. Whatâ€™s worse is this move also puts the safety of customers at risk. â€œWe are very disappointed and frustrated that the e-hailing taxi problem could not be solved, and now there is a motorcycle taxi service. “What is going to happen to the public transport industry in this country.” Kamarudin Mohd Hussain via Sinar Harian (translated to English from Malay)

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