The balance between of APs and the national car Proton has to be carefully managed or it creates a false market for cars in Malaysia to the detriment of both consumers and the government.

The consumer can end up paying more for poor quality cars while the government can lose billions of ringgit in under-declared import bills.

Now that a candle has been lit for the AP story , there is some light to see what had hitherto been a dark chamber of government secrecy.

First of all, there should not be any secrecy on APs for it does not even remotely affect national security. In fact, keeping the citizens in the dark only reinforces the perception that 'some evil is afoot'.

Since the government is the controller of both the APs and Proton, all the recent drama could have been avoided if there are proper policies in place and understood by the relevant parties.

For Proton, the top management should be reviewed to see if proper steps have been taken to improve efficiency and purchasing practices. It should be given five years to shape up or fold up.

If the AP system is to nurture entrepreneurs, there must be a time frame for them to upgrade from just receiving APs to getting proper experience and moving on from there.

I believe the APs can be used for the unemployed graduates. Get perhaps 10 people to start up companies to deal with APs. Each company is granted 200 APs a year and the concession is granted for the maximum of five years.

All qualified Malaysians, based on a means test, should be given 20 APs in their lifetime. Each Malaysian should also be allowed one AP in a lifetime.

All those who have set up showrooms and workshops will have to follow market demand. With so many cars in Malaysia, it should be profitable to become authorised workshops for warranties and servicing.

Parliamentary committees should be set up to monitor the various ministries as it appears that some ministers have become too busy to look into important issues.