kl tower — The communications ministry previously asked all parties in the dispute over the operations of KL Tower to give room for the legal process to proceed smoothly. (Envato Elements pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A former Kuala Lumpur Tower employee has denied allegations of mistreatment against Bumiputera employees amid the tussle over the skyscraper’s administration.

In a TikTok video, Indera Bakti Ariffin said employees at the iconic landmark received a notice from the labour department in December that Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd’s (MKLSB) concession to manage KL Tower had ended.

Indera said the employees were offered new contracts by Lim Seong Hai Capital Bhd (LSH Capital), which recently secured a 20-year lease to manage KL Tower.

“I was a former staff member and there is no issue about us being mistreated or whatever,” said Indera, whose Linkedin profile describes him as a customer service manager at KL Tower.

Indera Bakti Ariffin said who owns the company to manage KL Tower should not be an issue.

“There is no issue about (LHS Capital) being a Bumiputera company or not. This shouldn’t be an issue.

“It doesn’t matter if they are Indian, Chinese or Malay. They are all Malaysian citizens and they all pay taxes. They also pay my salary, so it’s not a problem for me.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd, the parent company of MKLSB, claimed that LSH Capital had failed to fulfill its request to absorb more than 200 employees.

Instead, Hydroshoppe alleged that LSH Capital made selective staff appointments that negatively affected employees, most of whom are Bumiputera.

Hydroshoppe also said LSH Capital had offered less favourable employment conditions, which has had a negative impact on most of the Bumiputera employees at KL Tower.

At a press conference on Monday, Hydroshoppe’s managing director, Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh, said both HydroShoppe and MKLSB were Bumiputera companies and that he was defending the rights of Bumiputera entrepreneurs.

He said the government, its public-private partnership unit, and the communications ministry initially agreed to award Hydroshoppe a 15-year concession from Jan 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2039, which was then extended to Dec 31, 2054.

Earlier, the communications ministry said MKLSB’s management contract expired on March 31, and LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by LSH Capital, was awarded a 20-year concession in May 2024, with a formal agreement signed last week.

The concession came into effect on April 1.

Hydroshoppe and MKLSB have filed a lawsuit to challenge the award of the concession, seeking RM20.13 million in losses and damages and for the concession to be transferred to them.

LSH Capital has said that it would defend the suit and continue to fulfill its obligations under the 20-year agreement.

Hamid is standing trial on a charge of offering an annual RM500,000 bribe over 15 years to former communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa in connection with the takeover of the KL Tower concession.

He is accused of offering the bribe amounting to RM7.5 million to one Tan Ser Lay for the benefit of Annuar to expedite the acquisition process.

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Ex-KL Tower employee denies claims of mistreatment amid takeover dispute

Indera Bakti Ariffin says the workers were offered new contracts by LSH Capital, which recently secured a 20-year lease to manage the iconic landmark.