AP vs AP (Part 2)

With the worsening air quality, Air Pollution has over taken Approved Permit as the topic of the day. Ayah Pin can relax as he is nowhere in the radar, at least for now.

Haze situation worsens

Based on the latest API reading, the haze situation has worsen from yesterday. APIs in Port Klang and Kuala Selangor have both exceeded 500, which is categorised as hazardous. The rest of Klang Valley seems to be catching up with Port Klang and Kuala Selangor as the APIs for Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam were also more than 300 by noon time.

Meanwhile, schools in KL, Port Klang, Kuala Selangor and few other areas have been ordered to close.

I wonder what will come out from the meeting between Indonesian and Malaysian ministers on the haze issue. Will this put a stop to the haze problem? I fear not. We have been experiencing haze around this time of the year annually, even though it has not been as bad as this except for 1997. The Indonesian Government has not done much to control open burning in Sumatra thus far. Perhaps the wind will need to blow in the other direction for Jakarta to experience what its neighbour is putting up with.

Approved Permits: Cabinet not satisfied with Rafidah's explanation

According to major dailies today, most Cabinet members were not satisfied with Rafidah Aziz's explanation on the AP controversy.

Sources described the meeting as "heated" when the AP issue was brought up. Rafidah was combative and defensive throughout.

To better describe the situation, according to Jeff Ooi, one seasoned editor put it crudely: "She f***** everybody and everybody f***** her back."

Sources also reported that Rafidah's explanation was not much different from what she had "disclosed" during the UMNO general assembly few weeks ago.

Furthermore, she is continuing to shy away from reporters. "The Prime Minister will issue a statement", was her only reply to reporters.

Meanwhile, Customs Director-General Tan Sri Abdul Halil Abdul Mutalib, whose son was given nearly 400 APs, claimed that he has never taken part in any Vehicle Price Assessment Committee discussion concerning his son who is involved in car imports.

After few weeks of waiting, it seems like we are still not getting any answers from Rafidah or the Government. I sincerely hope that our PM will keep his word of being transparent and provide average Malaysians the truth.

What average Malaysians would like to know: -

1. What is the criteria for giving out APs?
2. What is the basis for having so many types of APs?
3. Why APs seem to be monopolised by a few bumiputra businessman? With two of them being former staff of her Ministry.

I hope this issue will not die out after a while like many other controversies in the past. Malaysians tend to have short-term memories and probably that is the strategy adopted by the relevent parties to save their skins.