Rafidah is still going through fire and water with AP

The Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz should come to the House often to answer questions and to understand the feeling of the members.

Spending 45 minutes in the House on 4 October, 2005 to answer questions on AP, permit to import cars, is hardly enough. It only whets the appetite of members to know more of what she can offer.

This is a comment by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong on Rafidah's perception that she has answered everything about AP to her satisfaction.

After months of controvesy on AP, Rafidah finally turned up in Parliament on 4 October, 2005 to answer questions on AP. Although she has patted herself on the back, members feel that there are still something amiss. For instance, after implementing the AP policy to help Malays to have a foothold in the automotive industry, has it achieved the objective? What are the abuses? How serious are they?

AP is not just for car, it is also for other things such as steel. Are there irregularities in steel import? The minister has to explain all these to the House.

True, she has been doing her duty to attract foreign trade to Malaysia. But, she can juggle her time to come to Parliament as often as possible. If she still cannot do it, she should ask the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who slips into the House more frequently than her. She can bow down her ear.