Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari during the “Selangor State-Level Hawkers and Small Traders Day Celebration 2025” in Putra Heights, Selangor.— MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
HAVING ties to the royal family does not preclude a private company from doing business with and operating services for the Selangor government.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said a prospective company was only assessed based on its track record and performance in past projects.
“If the company has a proven track record, it is not an offence for it to be appointed to manage services by the state, even if it has ties to royalty,” he said when met on Friday (Nov 21) after launching the Selangor Petty Traders and Hawkers Day celebration in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya.
Amirudin said this in response to reports that the company appointed to manage parking in Selangor had links to a member of the state royal family.
Elaborating, Amirudin said the state’s investment arm made the decision, Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) and not the Selangor state executive council.
“The MBI vets the company by reviewing its past performance in similar work in Johor and now, in Kuala Lumpur.
“It did not dive into details such as the owner of the company, nor was the decision made based on any royal name involved,” he said.
Earlier this week, a news portal reported that the company appointed to manage the Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) scheme has links to a member of the Selangor royal family.
Under the SIP agreement, Selmax Sdn Bhd is required to share parking revenue with local authorities.
Selmax has so far signed agreements with the Selayang Municipal Council, Shah Alam City Council and Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).
The issue had raised transparency concerns among stakeholders, prompting calls for the state government to explain its decision to reform the parking system.
In response, Amirudin said the new parking arrangement did not reduce revenue for the local authorities involved.
Citing MBSJ as an example, he said the council had collected RM1.185mil from parking as of July 1 this year compared to RM1.18mil throughout last year.
“This shows the reform is a win-win situation, where proceeds to local authorities did not go down but instead went up.
“And I am sure this can be improved if more bays are added and enforcement activities are stepped up,” he added.
Also present were Selangor government deputy secretary (Development) Datuk Johary Anuar, Subang Jaya mayor Datuk Amirul Azizan Abd Rahim, Menteri Besar Incorporated chief executive officer Datuk Saipolyazan Mat Yusop and Agro Bank president and chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin.
