BIG Blue Taxi Services founder Shamsubahrin Ismail has publicly apologised to Indonesians for calling them poor and only the poor work for e-hailing service Go-Jek as riders in the republic.

“I apologise to all Indonesians for labelling them as poor,” he said in a press conference today, after social media platforms and his WhatsApp were flooded with messages from Indonesians angry and dissatisfied over his statement.

He said he based his statement after reading news reports on the state of Indonesia’s economy.

“Indonesia is in my heart, the people of Indonesia are in my heart,” he said.

In a video that went viral in Indonesia, Shamsubahrin said Malaysia was a wealthy nation where its youths were not destitute like their counterparts in Indonesia.

“If in Indonesia their youths are good, they would not go overseas to find jobs. Go-Jek is only for the poor like in Jakarta, Thailand, India, Cambodia,” Shamsubahin can be heard as saying.

Go-Jek riders in Indonesia yesterday threatened to stage a protest at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakatar and other Malaysian consulates on September 3.

Putrajaya recently said it was looking into allowed Go-Jek services into Malaysia, saying that it would provide job opportunities for those in the Bottom 40 group and unemployed. – August 28, 2019.