Come clean on parking concessions award to ‘royal-linked company’, Selangor govt told

The Selangor state government has been urged to clarify issues surrounding the awarding of parking concessions in the state to a company reportedly linked to a member of the Selangor royal family. — Scoop file pic, November 19, 2025


Come clean on parking concessions award to ‘royal-linked company’, Selangor govt told


Anti-graft group C4 accuses the state administration of trying to stifle information on the matter of public interest

KUALA LUMPUR — The Selangor state government has been urged to clarify issues surrounding the awarding of parking concessions in the state to a company reportedly linked to a member of the Selangor royal family.

In a statement today, the Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4 Centre) accused the state administration of not only keeping mum on the issue, but also allegedly attempting to block public access to key documents in the matter.

The anti-graft group was commenting on a recent Malaysiakini report of Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah, owning a 16.5 per cent stake in Selmax Sdn Bhd, a company awarded three concessions under the Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) initiative to privatise street parking.

The stake is reportedly owned through two other holding companies: Tanah Perwira Sdn Bhd and Greyscale Holdings Sdn Bhd.

In the statement, C4 pointed out that the Selangor state government had, back in July, announced that the concessions would be collected by Rantaian Mesra, a subsidiary of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) with local councils, on a revenue-sharing model, before announcing the involvement of a private company in the deal, just days later.

In August, Selmax reportedly signed multiple long-term concessions, and the state government in late October blocked concession documents from the public, citing the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972, alleged C4.

The royalty’s involvement was only just revealed via the Malaysiakini report.

“This sequence of events raises more questions than answers, particularly regarding the integrity of the procurement process, the management of conflicts of interest, and the use of secrecy provisions to suppress essential information,” read the statement.

C4 then raised several questions for the Selangor state government to answer, including why Selmax was brought into the concession structure despite the initial plan to place operation responsibilities on a state-linked company, and whether beneficial ownership interests involving members of the royal household were properly declared and evaluated.

“How were bidders assessed, and were all bidders competing on equal footing, given the influence of powerful individuals?

“Why has the state government not publicly justified the significant differences between its July announcements and Selmax’s subsequent Bursa filing?” asked C4.

Erodes public trust

The civil society group stressed that while parking concessions are not matters of national security, they do directly affect the daily experience of millions of Selangor residents, and involves substantial streams of public revenue.

“Shielding them behind secrecy laws erodes public trust and runs counter to the principles of open government that the state has long claimed to champion.”

On the involvement of the royal household member, C4 said the public procurement process must be structured in a way that prevents even the perception that influence, access, or status could shape commercial outcomes.

“In any public infrastructure concession – especially one involving long-term revenue streams, enforcement powers, and widespread public impact – the participation of politically influential or constitutionally recognised figures requires stricter safeguards, not looser ones.

“Royal households hold symbolic constitutional roles and carry significant moral and institutional influence, and for this reason, international procurement norms treat such individuals as politically exposed persons

(PEPs) whose involvement must trigger enhanced due diligence and disclosure mechanisms,” said C4.

In the case of SIP, the protections appear to have failed on several levels, added C4, beginning with the non-disclosure of the Raja Muda’s involvement, despite its direct relevance to public trust and the integrity of the tendering process.

Governance gaps

“Whether the state was aware of this beneficial ownership and chose not to reveal it, or was unaware due to insufficient verification, both scenarios point to serious governance gaps. Moreover, even if the request for proposal (RFP) process was followed, the presence of royalty-linked interests creates an unavoidable perception

that the playing field was not level, and that public institutions may have been placed under undue pressure, whether intentionally or otherwise,” said C4.

The group then demanded assurance from the Selangor state government that no preferential treatment influenced the concession award, and an explanation for why no conflict-of-interest checks were not conducted prior.

To remedy the situation, the state government must revert the SIP initiative concession back to the contracting stage and issue a new request for proposals, it said.

“The state government must also implement contracting processes that prioritise public disclosure regarding concession details and conflicts of interest, and that also prioritise access to information.

“Furthermore, we strongly urge the Federal government to amend the Official Secrets Act 1972 to remove broad discretionary and non-reviewable powers, while aligning it with the proposed Freedom of Information Bill.”— November 19, 2025