KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang challenged Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak today to set up a special committee addressing the Internet complaints highlighted by Malaysians today, in his latest attack against the communications and multimedia minister.

According to the veteran opposition leader, Salleh should start asking “what he could do for information and communications technology (ICT)” instead of “what ICT can do for him”, claiming that Malaysians are eager to know his vision for his ministerial portfolio.

“What is he doing to track the cost and affordability of ICT services to close the digital divides in the country, to increase ICT uptake in the nation’s least connected regions and enhance the role of ICT as a development enabler for the less-developed areas?” the DAP Parliamentary Leader said in a statement.

“At the micro level, he should have read of the many complaints in the past two days about Internet speed, coverage and affordability, and whether he would set up a special committee to address the complaints highlighted by the readers in the various media, whether electronic or printed?”

Lim pointed out that Putrajaya has spent RM3.176 billion more than the United Kingdom in upgrading its high-speed broadband infrastructure, but is instead getting less return on the investment since the latter’s average Internet speed is now more than twice of Malaysia’s.

The Gelang Patah MP also claimed that Internet users in neighbouring Thailand can get Internet speeds between 10 to 30 times faster than Malaysia at the same price, and even a whopping 100 times faster in Singapore.

Yesterday, Lim castigated Salleh for the latter’s alleged poor research and ignorance on the country’s online condition, accusing Salleh of busy spreading propaganda for the prime minister.

According to Lim, Salleh should instead be replaced by somebody who has the expertise and passion to restore Malaysia’s previous vision to be an information technology superpower.

Salleh had in his blog claimed that that even though higher broadband speeds are available, the majority of Malaysians customers would subscribe to the cheaper ones and thus getting slower packages.

His statement has since been ridiculed by many Malaysians online, including former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.