The answers given by International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz in the Dewan Rakyat last week on the Approved Permits (AP) issue failed to satisfy former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Most of the questions were not answered. And unfortunately the MPs also did not ask the right questions," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

He also reiterated the question as to why the majority of the APs were given to two or three individuals when hundreds of others had also applied.

There were other questions which may not have been posed or not answered adequately and these included why there were new car categories and why the concept of AP franchises was introduced, he said.

It wasn't me

He again stressed that it was not him who accorded the national car status to the Naza Group and pointed the finger at the Miti (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) instead.

Rafidah, who is Miti minister, had earlier said Mahathir made the decision when he was prime minister, but the former leader accused the minister of lying.

"As far as the so-called approval of the Naza car as a national car, I think Miti knows very well that it was Miti which approved (the status to Naza)," he said.

In July, Mahathir disclosed that the decision to accord the national car status to Naza was made by Rafidah.

He said it was later discovered that the local content in the production of the Naza-assembled cars from the original Kia cars from South Korea was only 18 percent.

The cabinet at that time could not rescind the decision that had been made but had instead hoped that Naza could increase the local content to up to 50 percent, he recalled.

Don't cover up

Mahathir, who is now Proton adviser, said government ministries must not cover-up any issue relating to the scandal.

"We know covering up is wrong. Government ministries must not cover up and lie to the public. Because that is wrong," he said.

"I think the government knows very well that it was Miti which approved (all decisions about AP).

"These things are a cover-up and this is very bad. Governments must not cover up, especially as now we believe in transparency," he added.

Mahathir also disclosed that Miti had a say in determining the declared price of cars under the AP system.

"Why was the declared price low?" he asked.

"That was not answered because if Miti knows, it is the duty of Miti to ensure that the price is the correct price," he added.

Last June, a Malay daily reported that Malaysia was estimated to have lost about RM1 billion a year in import duties because of the low landed price declared for imported vehicles brought in with APs.

Lion's share of APs

According to AFP , Mahathir's accusations were the latest instalment in a long-running battle with Rafidah over the fate of Proton, which he helped to conceive and whose declining market share he is trying to protect.

The fight has centred on a controversial scheme of car import permits issued by the ministry, which Mahathir said have undermined Proton's position by allowing under-priced foreign vehicles into the Malaysia's competitive market.

Mahathir and Rafidah have come to blows over the scheme, which has seen allegations of cronyism levied against the minister after a released list of permit holders revealed several ministry officials and prominent businessmen, including Naza's head Nasimuddin Amin, received the lion's share of permits.

Rafidah, who has weathered calls for her resignation from opposition politicians and ruling party lawmakers over the issue, was called to Parliament last week to answer questions on the scheme.

But lawmakers were left largely unsatisfied by her answers, which they said did not fully explain the distribution of permits.