Claim Emerges Of MITI Stealing Ideas For Expo 2025 Osaka

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It can be frustrating when someone else claims credit for all your hard work, and not even give you a single sen for your efforts.

Now imagine if you worked on a project for the government that spanned over two years, they take the idea, use it, and not mention you at all.

This is what creative consultancy firm Current Media Group (CMG) Sdn Bhd claimed to have happened to them when they were engaged by a ministry for a large-scale project proposal.

MITI reached out to CMG two years ago to develop the Malaysian Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka

A recent Instagram post shared by Fey Ilyas details the entire ordeal through a series of presentation-style images beginning in 2022 when CMG was hired by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) as creative consultants to develop the concept, theme, narrative, and architectural direction for the Malaysian Pavilion in Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan.

For those who are unfamiliar, Expo 2025 is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. This year’s exhibition is held in Osaka, Japan, from 13 April to 13 October.

In the post, Fey shared various documents, papers, presentations, e-mails, and many more proof of communications with MITI.

Each image in the Instagram post showed details of the proposal and side-by-side comparisons of CMG’s work and MITI’s alleged application of it.

Fey claimed that MITI committed plagiarism by adaptation; meaning they took the idea, made a few tweaks, and called it their own.

Eight months in and MITI drops CMG, puts the work up for open tender

According to the post, CMG worked for eight months under tight deadlines while repeatedly assuring their formal appointment was forthcoming.

Suddenly, in January 2023, they were told the project would not proceed and their work was put up for an open tender.

One screenshot alleged that the tender briefing featured CMG’s concept word-for-word, together with screen captures of documents that were circulated to participants, which had the company’s initials in the file name.

Meanwhile, the tender specifications listed the concept and narrative as part of the deliverables, but CMG had already developed both months earlier, under MITI’s direction.

Fey then questioned how it is acceptable that another company is now being paid to deliver work that already exists, and one that CMG created.

Two years and no accountability

Fey claimed that his company had met with current MITI Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz and brought the issue directly to him.

Additionally, they had also met with the Expo secretariat, sent a number of letters, and submitted timelines and other documentation.

They were assured the matter would be resolved but were made to chase their own tails for over two years.

“When I tried to speak up publicly, I was blocked by Tengku Zafrul and restricted by the official Expo 2025 Malaysia Instagram page,” Fey claimed.

After months of no response, they received a blunt answer stating that MITI would not be paying them – citing a lack of procurement records.

To conclude, Fey highlighted the matter as not just being about CMG alone but about dignity.

“And because staying quiet only protects the people who keep doing this to others,” he said.

TRP has attempted to contact Tengku Zafrul and his team but no reply was received as of the publishing of this article.

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