KUALA LUMPUR: Big Blue Capital (M) Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail will not be taking up the offer to travel to Indonesia for free to seek forgiveness in person for his controversial statement against Indonesia’s online motorcycle e-hailing service Gojek, which has allegedly insulted many people in the republic.
More than 400 Gojek riders held a demonstration outside the Malaysian embassy on Tuesday to protest against recent remarks made by the Big Blue Taxi Facilities founder which went viral in Indonesia, describing Gojek as a service "only for poor people like in Jakarta, Thailand, India and Cambodia."
The demonstrators, who were demanding that Shamsubahrin apologise for his comments against Gojek riders and Indonesians, also raised funds for him to travel to Indonesia to make a personal apology there.
“I do not need anyone’s money to travel to Indonesia. I’m familiar with the country. I’m not sure how much the demonstrators have collected but I urge those who have donated the money for my travel there to channel it towards mosques and the people of Indonesia who need it,” Shamsubahrin told the New Straits Times.
“I’ve taken the liberty to make a public apology and have explained why and how the word ‘miskin’ (poor) came about.
“I did my research based on what the media and the politicians there had said about the industry, and the term (miskin) was used. However, my remarks were taken out of context.”
He said he planned to visit Jakarta soon to introduce Big Blue taxi services there, after recovering from a medical treatment here.
“Right now, I’m focusing on my cancer treatment. But I will definitely visit Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Vietnam and neighbouring countries this year to promote our taxi services. God willing, by end of this year I hope to bring Big Blue services to Indonesia.”
In response to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) requesting its Indonesian counterpart to have an armoured personnel carrier on standby when the Harimau Malaya plays in Jakarta for the World Cup qualifier this Thursday due to prevailing tensions, Shamsubahrin dismissed it as “it’s all politics”.
In 2010, Malaysian players and officials were forced to board a Barracuda to and from the Gelora Bung Karno stadium after several hundred Indonesian supporters threw missiles onto the pitch during the Asean Federation Federation (AFF) Cup Final.
At the 2011 SEA Games, a stampede occurred which resulted in two deaths.
Last year, the Malaysian national youth team was attacked by Indonesian fans after the Under-19 AFF Cup semi-final in East Java.