Nawawi denies allegations brought Uber to Langkawi

LANGKAWI: Langkawi Umno Division head, Datuk Nawawi Ahmad today denied allegations that he brought Uber's e-hailing service to operate in Langkawi since last year.
He said the accusations on social media were unfounded and deliberately designed to provoke the anger of taxi drivers on the duty-free resort island.
"I deny these allegations claiming I was the one who brought Uber (which has since sold its business in Malaysia to Grab) to Langkawi. If you want me to swear (I did not do it), also can," he said at the 1Malaysia Taxi Assistance Card presentation ceremony here.
Nawawi, who is also the incumbent member of Parliament for Langkawi, said instead he had worked tirelessly to find a solution to the problem faced by 1,350 taxi drivers here who have experienced a decline in income due to the presence of e-hailing services.
He said, the introduction of the assistance card containing a pre-paid value of RM800 each and insurance coverage for the taxi driver was one of the government's measures to help them.
According to him, the government has also agreed to provide insurance coverage under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) specifically for taxi drivers on the island. — Bernama