SHAH ALAM – Muda acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz has slammed the government over the RM1 billion price tag for the Save Me 999 emergency app, calling the cost unreasonable and questioning its practicality for users during emergencies.
In her video, she raised doubts about the budget allocated for the app by questioning how much it would roughly cost to create a smartphone app, suggesting figures ranging from RM5,000, RM10,000, to RM100,000.
“I want to ask, roughly how much would I need to pay if I wanted to create a smartphone app? RM5,000, RM10,000, RM100,000?”
Amira said the Malaysian government had awarded a tender worth RM1 billion for the emergency app, which is described as an AI-supported platform to connect users to emergency services.
She also highlighted a recent complaint from a user who contacted 999 and was instead told to download the app.
“So what is this Save Me 999? Save Me 999 is an app meant for us to connect with emergency services using a smartphone. It has AI and is said to be more advanced,” she said.
She argued that the system creates unnecessary hurdles in critical moments.
“It makes absolutely no sense! What then? If you download the app, you still have to wait for the OTP [One-Time Password],” she stressed, adding that users who forget their passwords will need to click “forgot password” again.
“What about people without internet? What about elderly people? Why are we creating more bureaucracy in emergency situations?,” she questioned further.
Amira also highlighted that the RM1 billion cost raises further concerns.
“RM1 billion is not a small amount. Imagine with RM1 billion, the government could allocate RM1 million to repair more than 1,000 schools and could build 3,000 affordable homes,” she added.
According to her, claims of insufficient funding for essential services would no longer be credible.
“So after this, if the government says it has no money to improve healthcare, no money to repair dilapidated schools, no money to help the people, none of that is logical anymore. So there is no problem finding a problem,” she said.
Amira ended her video with the remark, “Make it make sense.”
The one-minute clip drew strong reactions online, with many users sharing her frustration.
Instagram user @iamomaisya wrote, “totally agree.” Another user, @gern1418, commented, “same like the issue of Malaysia flag pins… someone is making profit from this..”
User @tinie98 added, “love your point YB,” while @diy_azwa said, “such a waste.”
Previously, social media users had raised concerns that the new system and its accompanying app complicate the process of requesting emergency assistance.
Viral posts criticised the need to download and navigate an app in life-or-death situations, particularly when internet connectivity is unstable or when calls are dropped.