his plan in turning around Proton if the Malaysian government gave the nod for him to buy a controlling stake of the company. He planned to build a RM1.2 billion factory in Bertam, Penang. In April 2008, he ventured into the food business by launching the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market. AP Controversy Nasimuddin was implicated in the AP controversy of 2005, when he was dubbed the "AP King". It was claimed that he and three other prominent businessmen were monopolising the issuance of Approved Permits (APs). APs are government-issued permits used to control car imports, whereby 60 percent of APs are given to bumiputra Open AP holders, and 40 percent are given to franchise holders. The practice of APs helped shift dominance of the car import industry from the ethnic Chinese to the Malays. Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad described Nasimuddin as an example of the New Economic Policy's (NEP) success, Bernama reported. He said Nasimuddin had an extraordinary approach in developing his business, starting with selling imported used cars from Japan and then going on to collaborating with foreign companies to produce and sell local cars under his own brand name. "He proved that the NEP was capable of producing successful bumiputras if they seized the available opportunities well. If all had the same opportunities and did what he had done, we may have achieved more than the NEP objectives," Dr Mahathir told Bernama. Awards and recognition In 2002, SM Nasimuddin was named Motoring Man of The Year by the New Straits Times. Honours of Malaysia : Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Royal Family of Malaysia (PSD) - Datuk (1997) Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (1998) : Knight Grand Commander of the Grand Order of Tuanku Jaafar (SPTJ) - Dato' Seri (2000) Principal Grand Knight of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) - Dato' Seri Utama (2006) : Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) - Dato' (1999) Foreign honours : Unknown class of the Order of Industrial Service Merit (2006) Death Nasimuddin died of stage four lung cancer at a private hospital in Long Beach, California, US on 1 May 2008. He was 53 years old. His body was brought back to Malaysia on 4 May 2008 and taken to Masjid Wilayah, Jalan