Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir says the review of the Approved Permits system is already at the final review stage and an announcement might be made by Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed by the end of this month.

“Currently, the AP issue is still being under scrutiny. It’s a very complex issue. It involves many people and different interests. We’ve to weigh different interests and have to come up with something that are acceptable to most parties,” said Datuk Mukhriz to Bernama reporters on Thursday.

Earlier this month the KL and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association urged MITI to open up the AP system to everyone, with a 30% quota for Bumis and the rest via an open auction system.

Datuk Mukhriz suggested that the AP system may be rethinked or abolished, though the latter is quite unlikely at this point of time, an unfortunately thing really as when the new NAP was unveiled in 2006, it was stated that the AP system would be phased out completely in 2010.