No appeal by Network School operator so far, says Johor executive councillor

KULAI, Johor - There has been no appeal so far from Network School, which was based in Forest City, after its business licence was revoked by the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP), said Johor executive councillor Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.The housing and local government committee chairman said Network School was no longer allowed to operate as its licence had been permanently revoked after its activities were found to be in breach of the law.“First, its advertisement did not comply with the local council’s requirements.“At the same time, the licence that (the operator) applied for was very different from the actual operation, and they had breached the licence conditions. That is why we terminated and cancelled it.“So far, they have not made an appeal,” he told reporters after an event in Kulai on July 27.He reminded investors and companies that they must comply with the laws and guidelines set by local authorities.“If a company registers for one type of business but carries out another, once investigations find that it has breached the conditions, we will revoke the licence,” he said.Jafni stressed that Johor remained a business-friendly state and welcomed investments, noting that the state continued to attract strong investor interest.“We welcome all investments because we are indeed a business-friendly state.“But everyone must comply with the rules and licence conditions set by the authorities,” he said.On July 22, MBIP announced that it had revoked the business licence of Network School operator NSO Malaysia and ordered the company to cease all operations the same day.The local authority said investigations found that the company had failed to comply with licensing conditions and the approved use of the premises, warranting enforcement action under its by-laws.Network School was a co-living and co-working technology commune with memberships starting at US$1,500 (S$1,900) a month.Founded by American entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan, it operated as a startup society for digital nomads, remote workers and others.The controversy arose after an anonymous social media account accused Network School of having Israeli nationals participating in the programme using passports issued by other countries.Malaysian authorities inspected the campus on July 14 and checked hundreds of passports belonging to people from 40 countries, including dual passport holders.The Immigration Department later said all 266 foreign nationals inspected at the Forest City premises possessed valid entry documents, based on its records. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK