PETALING JAYA: The housing and local government ministry did not undertake a proper needs assessment prior to implementing the MyKiosk initiative, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The MACC identified this as one of several shortcomings in the project, which has been labelled a white elephant after it failed to achieve its intended objectives and caused public inconvenience due to kiosks being poorly located.
“The lack of a needs assessment and a structured outcome-monitoring system, including key performance indicators (KPIs), made it difficult to assess the project’s effectiveness at the local authority level,” the MACC said in a statement after submitting five recommendations on governance improvements to the ministry yesterday.
Among the recommendations were integrating the MyKiosk project’s outcomes into KPIs and setting up a dedicated committee to oversee its implementation and performance.
“Two additional recommendations involve strengthening the MyKiosk guidelines covering procurement, management and monitoring, as well as developing a comprehensive federal-funded project implementation guideline to serve as an operational reference,” it said.
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Introduced in 2023, the MyKiosk initiative aimed to provide traders with safer and more comfortable business spaces while enhancing the appearance of roadside stalls.
The programme faced criticism from MCA Youth, which questioned its low take-up rate, particularly in areas under the Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya city councils.
However, housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming rejected claims that the project was a white elephant.
The ministry had voluntarily submitted documents related to the initiative to the MACC in May to demonstrate that the project was carried out transparently and in compliance with established procedures.
-freemalaysiatoday
