SOURCE: The Star: Monday November 16, 2009
Miti wants industry to look at NAP in the long run
SINGAPORE: Jobs lost due to the implementation of the New Automotive Policy (NAP), which will ban imported used car spare parts, will be compensated in the medium- and long-term.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the policy was in place to ensure safety and develop the country’s own automotive components industry.
“We are aware of the business interest but all this has been explained when we discussed it with industry players.
Above: Discussion: Mustapa talking with Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Lim Hwee Hua during a breakfast meeting with the Singapore Business Federation on the sidelines of the Apec Summit in Singapore yesterday.
“Anyway, this policy does not take effect immediately and there is still room for people to improve,” he said, adding that the country needed more companies to set up base in Malaysia in order to develop the local automotive components industry.
“Once this develops, all the short-term job losses can be compensated in the long run.
“Yes, there will be glitches here and there but with some adjustments, this will benefit the country,” he said.
He added that he did not believe that 100,000 jobs would be lost when the NAP ruling came into effect in 2011.
Asked if the Government might reconsider the decision, he said the implementation of the policy would be carried out gradually.
On Saturday, Johor Used Car Spare-Part Dealers Association committee member Ng Keng Heng had said the ban would cause major problems to both dealers and owners of old cars.
He had claimed that there were more than 5,000 used car spare-part dealers around the country and the ruling could cause the loss of about 100,000 jobs.
Malaysian Industrial Development Authority director-general Datuk Jalilah Baba said it was still too premature to talk about job losses as the NAP’s main objective was to improve services.
References:
1) http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/16/nation/5118017&sec=nation
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