Too soon to count? PSD hasn’t measured Waze ban compliance yet

KAMPAR, Oct 31 — The Public Service Department (JPA) is confident that civil servants will fully comply with the ban on the use of the Waze navigation application.

Director-General of Public Service (KPPA) Tan Sri Dr Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said the compliance rate among civil servants had yet to be determined, as the government had only recently announced the directive.

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that civil servants would take the matter seriously and comply with the ban, which was imposed for security reasons.

“Civil servants are no longer allowed to use Waze due to security concerns. We have also learned from what happened to other countries that used the application,” he said after officiating at the closing ceremony of the Kampung dan Sekolah Angkat Madani JPA programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kota Baharu here today.

On October 21, the government decided to ban all civil servants from using the Waze navigation application to protect government information and users’ personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the decision took into account the fact that Waze Mobile Ltd, which controls user data, is incorporated and operates under Israeli law.

Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad Dahlan said RM1.465 million had been allocated to improve infrastructure, upgrade public facilities and support educational programmes under the Kampung dan Sekolah Angkat Madani programme for residents of Kampung Kota Bharu and students of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Malim Nawar here.

He said RM500,000 from the Ministry of Finance and an additional RM35,000 from JPA were set aside for eight physical projects under the Kampung Angkat Madani initiative, including upgrades to the mosque, community hall, health clinic, police station and pavilion at SK Kota Baharu, as well as the construction of a village landmark and the provision of smart boards.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan also said collaboration with the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development had resulted in the installation of 40 solar-powered streetlights worth RM380,000, while the Implementation Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department had allocated RM450,000 for the construction of a new multipurpose hall with two badminton courts.

He said an allocation of RM90,000 was also provided to SMK Malim Nawar to upgrade its computer laboratory, Design and Technology workshop and science laboratories, with another RM10,000 earmarked for educational development programmes for students and teachers.

“Various community and educational activities have also been held, including a korban programme, GP Joran fishing competition, traditional games, health and psychological outreach programme, Tuisyen Madani, gotong-royong activities and Wira Komuniti Carnival,” he said.

The closing ceremony also saw 97 families in Kampung Kota Bharu receive Bakul Rahmah aid, while schools received contributions and JPA’s strategic partners were recognised for their support.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan also praised the SK Kota Baharu team for winning a gold medal for its Ecowire Roll innovation at the International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expo 2026 on October 25.

He also highlighted the achievement of a female student from SMK Malim Nawar who was selected to represent Selangor in football.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said these achievements showed that children from rural areas could excel when given the right opportunities, facilities and support. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: JPA stands for Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam in Malay, also known as PSD in English, while KPPA stands for Ketua Pengarah Perkhidmatan Awam in Malay.