Tengku Zafrul said the more pertinent course of action is to streamline the relevant ministries and agencies since the legal framework and guidelines still fall under their jurisdiction.

“Public adoption needs commitment at all levels of ministries, agencies and industry players. All stakeholders are involved in the EV ecosystem process,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“At Miti, we play both the role of leaders and coordinators. There are two levels: one is the National EV Task Force (NEVTF) and the other is the National EV Steering Committee (NEVSC), both represented at the Cabinet level by the relevant ministers.”

Tengku Zafrul said the Cabinet is actively monitoring the respective ministers involved in the NEVSC.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong), who made the suggestion after noting how the EV industry is mired in bureaucracy and red tape.

“I request the minister to propose establishing a single agency under the PMO to manage all EV-related affairs. The prime minister would approve all policies, and all ministries would have to comply,” Lim said.

Earlier, responding to Lim’s initial question about Putrajaya’s decision not to abolish the approved permit (AP) requirement and exempt all taxes, including excise and import duties, on EVs, Tengku Zafrul said the AP requirement remains relevant and should be retained.

He said various tax exemptions have also been allocated in the proposed 2024 budget. announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last Friday, including an extension for the RM2,500 tax relief for EV charging facilities, covering the installation of home EV chargers, for a period of four years.

In July, Tengku Zafrul said the government had no intention of phasing out the AP system for car imports even though Tesla had been permitted to sell cars in the country without adhering to the usual AP rules.