Proton controversies, such as APs malpractices, entry of foreign cars at below-cost prices, 20-year protection, etc will not be settled so long as the 26 million Malaysians do not get satisfactory explanations
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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Penang, Sunday): The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday that he believed that the issues raised by former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad relating to the automotive industry and Proton have been settled as the International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz has sent a letter to the Proton Adviser giving her explanations.

The controversy concerning the abuses and improprieties in the issue of approved permits (APs) for imported cars and the entry of foreign cars at below-cost prices, as well as other questions concerning the national automotive policy and the 20-year protection of Proton, cannot be laid to rest so easily just with a letter from Rafidah to Mahathir, as the burning issues highlighted in the controversy do not just concern two individuals but affect 26 million Malaysians who have the right to know what explanations Rafidah had given to Mahathir.

Apart from whether Mahathir is satisfied with Rafidah’s explanations are the even more important questions whether Parliament (even if the Cabinet wants to stay out of the Rafidah-Mahathir row) and the 26 million Malaysians are satisfied with Rafidah’s explanations.

The letter of explanations from Rafidah to Mahathir is not a private personal letter but an official Ministerial communication and it should be made public or tabled in Parliament as the issues of APs malpractices, the entry of foreign cars at below-cost prices, the 20-year Proton protection, etc. had been raised in Parliament with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry evading the issues and failing to give satisfactory answers to date.

The Proton controversies, such as APs malpractices, entry of foreign cars at below-cost prices, 20-year protection, etc will not be settled and will remain very alive so long as the 26 million Malaysians do not get satisfactory explanations about them.

As Abdullah is now the Acting Minister for International Trade and Industry, with the sudden “leave vacation” of Rafidah, I call on him to make public the explanations which Rafidah had given to Mahathir with regard to the many public interest issues pertaining to Proton, APs and the national automotive policy. This will be fully in keeping with
Abdullah’s pledge to uphold the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance when he became the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

(10/07/2005)