Declassifying information on holders of Approved Permits (APs) to import vehicles is deemed part and parcel of a transparent and accountable government, two groups said today.

Consumers' Association of Penang president SM Mohd Idris said there is no reason to keep such information classified as it does not threaten the security of the country.

"It would be very unhealthy for a democracy if these are considered classified documents," he said in a statement.

"Any ministry that claims to uphold transparency, accountability and integrity will have no qualms about revealing how it awards APs (or even tenders) to dispel any suspicion of improper conduct."

He also said it was not enough to merely publish the names of AP holders, but also the basis on which the permits were awarded.

He was reacting to International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz's remarks that her ministry would not reveal the names of AP holders.

"These people are in business and I do not see any reason why we should make this public especially when we have been mentioning their names in Parliament very often," she told reporters yesterday.

Rafidah also backed the continuation of the AP system as it has helped the development of the national car industry, adding that permits are issued on merit by a committee in her ministry.

Adding to suspicions

Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity president Param Cumaraswamy dismissed Rafidah's assurances and said her refusal to disclose information would only "add fuel" to suspicions of improper conduct.

"Rather than warning people who cast aspersions on the award of these permits, the minister would be well-advised to publicly disclose the names to allay those suspicions," he said in a statement.

He also questioned the apparent discrepancy in declaring it "inappropriate" to reveal the names of AP holders on one hand while also claiming that certain names of such recipients had repeatedly been mentioned in Parliament.

Param also questioned the relevance of AP permits and their impact on the export of Proton cars.

"Where is the transparency in this whole exercise?" he asked.

"Even if the AP system supports the export of our Proton overseas and any restrictions could affect the same exports, why should that be an impediment to the public's right to know who were the recipients of these APs, be they corporations or individuals?"

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed had urged the government to divulge the names of AP holders and called for restrictions on the number of APs in order to help the national car industry.

Mahathir, who is Proton Holding Bhd advisor, said some of the cars that were imported were as cheap as RM11,000.