Proton owner,be proud

[Linus]

wah seh... ur feelings so strong leh, pal..... personally, there are certain things not too bad lah.

i hv worked in MY couple of years b4. its juz how u view it..... diff angle, diff way of doin things...

[Silverarrow]

Dun say lidat lah ... we got some Proton owners who might be offended with that kinda statement

 

Many of my fellow Malaysians share my sentiments towards Proton. Just visit any Malaysian car forum and you'll know what I mean. My hatred towards them stems from the fact that my previous work had a lot to do with the Malaysian automotive industry. Add all the negative sentiments from other industry players, and the mix gets volatile.

 

Perhaps you'll never understand the feeling, since it's mainly a Malaysian thing.

Edited July 14, 2004 by Silverarrow

[Hitman]

Ya ... I agree

[Hitman]

So clever

[Silverarrow]

wah seh... ur feelings so strong leh, pal..... personally, there are certain things not too bad lah.

i hv worked in MY couple of years b4. its juz how u view it..... diff angle, diff way of doin things...

 

Actually, working in Malaysia has some plus points, if you can tahan the lack of purchasing power and the stresses of being stuck in traffic jams and running the risk of encountering road bullies. The pace of work can be quite relaxing if you're in an administrative role. Unfortunately, my previous work had very tight schedule demands, and working with some of the more lazy and unmotivated types really increases your blood pressure.

 

As for the Malaysian auto industry, it is in a state of flux right now. People are waiting for the government's next move with regard to AFTA's full effect in 2005. The government has made it clear that it will still try to protect Proton somewhat by replacing import duties with excise duties (which defeats the spirit of AFTA), while other moves are underway to find a foreign partner to buy into Proton under very unfavourable terms set out by a recalcitrant ex-PM.

 

Another industry player to watch out for is Naza Motors. The company's founder, a well-known Mahathir-crony named Nasimuddin, was given an Approved Permit to import luxury cars at minimal duties. But what is little known is that this company without an automotive track record had also unethically seized the import rights for Mercedes-Benz cars, which puts them in a parasitic position of simply reselling to Cycle & Carriage (which still handles the distribution) for easy money. Naza Motors recently gained the title of "national car manufacturer" for producing the Naza Ria, which is just a Kia Carnival except for a minor badge change. Since Mahathir knows his Proton project faces an uncertain future, he has quietly maneuvered Naza Motors into a favourable position by unfair means, and now has a production plant up and running in the Kedah town of Gurun near his own hometown of Kubang Pasu.

Edited July 14, 2004 by Silverarrow

[Linus]

well.. i hv learnt some lessons while working there... if u cant beat them, join them. and when u r in rome, do as romans....

at least it will keep ur BP in check. but like wat u said, its ok for short stints. otherwise, would really behave n act like them.

however, some places like ipoh n kluang are nice.... wont mind going there for retirement. stds of living n pace is abt rite lah.

[Hitman]

wont mind going there for retirement. stds of living n pace is abt rite lah.

 

Cheaper too .... thinking about retiring oredi sia

[Lala81]

there is nothing wrong with malaysia per say, after all we singaporeans share so many common pts with them. its just that their national car project is poorly run. proton wld get slaughtered on an open market but now its too big a project (involves a lot of employment n pride issues) for them 2 close down so they carry on... now they can onli hope for reform.

[Silverarrow]

well.. i hv learnt some lessons while working there... if u cant beat them, join them. and when u r in rome, do as romans....

at least it will keep ur BP in check. but like wat u said, its ok for short stints. otherwise, would really behave n act like them.

 

Well, technically this doesn't really apply to me, since I'm still a Malaysian citizen.

 

But there's danger in this approach. The Malaysian way is sometimes not the right way.

 

Many years ago, I had an encounter with a road bully when this huge guy with gangsta shades and goatee tried to swerve his car onto mine. I had to apply emergency brakes to avoid a collision. Dunno what cheesed him off. I had observed his swerving in and out of lanes in my rear-view mirror earlier, and he probably was mad when I maintained my legal speed limit on the middle lane instead of allowing him to overtake me from the left (which is illegal by the way).

 

So, I did what any typical Malaysian would do. I waited for traffic to slow down at the next jam on the slow-moving Federal Highway, pulled up behind his car, and opened my door to get out and confront him. I have to confess that the weapon in my hand was very visible.

 

Of course, he did what any typical Malaysian road bully would do. Upon reading my intention, he swerved onto the left lane into a tight opening and nearly collided with another car. And never will i see another getaway so quick in a traffic jam.

 

My point is, my "Malaysian way" would have resulted in me spending time behind bars, since I had every intention of giving that bully some facial restructuring with my steering lock, and a baseball bat. Also, I realise that my action may have resulted in an accident involving another innocent party when that idiot made his reckless disappearing act.

 

Not an episode that I'm proud of. And I wouldn't recommend others to "do as the Romans do in Rome."

 

however, some places like ipoh n kluang are nice.... wont mind going there for retirement. stds of living n pace is abt rite lah.

 

Ipoh's a pretty decent place, but a little too sedate. Penang's more exciting, and despite what people say about Penang drivers being bad, the worst of the lot there drive cars bearing registration plates starting with the letters "W" or "B," not "P."

[DarkLord]

Ermz... Norwich City isn't an household name lehz...

 

Not a household name ??

 

Maybe not now lah ... but they used to be a force to be reckoned with in the 80s

 

There are a household name in my memory though

 

ps : When did you start watching EPL anyway

Please lahz! They were in EPL for one season before "sinking" into obscurity! Before that they are machiam Liverpool now... "Talented but CMI"!!

[DarkLord]

Oh by the way, I started watching the old division one back in 1984! At the "Ripe old age" of 4!

Edited July 14, 2004 by DarkLord

[Silverarrow]

there is nothing wrong with malaysia per say, after all we singaporeans share so many common pts with them. its just that their national car project is poorly run. proton wld get slaughtered on an open market but now its too big a project (involves a lot of employment n pride issues) for them 2 close down so they carry on... now they can onli hope for reform. [shakehead]

 

I'm not gonna comment on the crimes, corruption and institutionalised racism in Malaysia, since I reserve such talk for another forum that is more appropriate.

 

As for Proton, reform is difficult.

 

In its better days, Proton was a job haven for the lazier and less competent class of people who wouldn't be employed elsewhere. As a result, the cars were shoddily built, but sales were unaffected simply because the Malaysian government, equipped with comprehensive GDP and per-capita income statistics, imposed duties that priced foreign cars out of reach of ordinary Malaysians. Proton made matters worse by continually raising their car prices. The workforce was compelled to buy cars, since public transportation systems were deliberately neglected so as to avoid conflicting against the interests of Proton and its politically-connected founders/owners. A typical Malaysian worker therefore had minimal savings due to such economic factors. Of course, the rakyat ain't stupid, and we could already perceive the huge differences in quality between the inferior domestic models and the better-equipped export models. The biggest slap to the face of the Malaysian consumer is that these export models are actually selling at a cheaper price abroad.

 

Things changed when Toyota and Honda introduced their Thai-made Soluna and City respectively. Suddenly, Malaysians found themselves with slightly more expensive but nevertheless attractive alternatives. And the superior quality of these Thai-made cars had, for the first time, caused worry among Proton's fat cats. With Mitsubishi continuing to drain away Proton's coffers despite the standstill in technology transfer, Proton's management realised that the company's parasitic days are numbered. The only way forward is to tackle the export market.

 

But the level playing field outside Malaysia is an efficient territory, and is absolutely brutal for a company that has survived purely from a hand-out mentality. Proton tried cost-cutting not by addressing its own internal inefficiencies, but by forcing its suppliers to sell them components at ridiculously low prices. Malaysia's local component suppliers had no choice but to comply, but made compromises in quality to ensure their own survival. What was once a Proton problem has now spread to the rest of the industry.

 

Is reform possible?

 

Perhaps.

 

But is it worth it?

 

No.

 

The loss of jobs is over-exaggerated. Already, we see trends of automation that cuts down costs and labour requirements. And the market will adjust to embrace better business and industrial ventures.

 

More importantly, in a market with choices, Malaysian car buyers will get to own non-National vehicles with proper safety features.

 

After all, you can't put a price on human lives, although Proton tried to do just that.

[Hitman]

Steady lah

[Redz]

aiyoh..so young ah u

[DarkLord]

Actually it was more of a case of "nothing to do", then switch on TV, see people kicking a ball and one of the team is called Liver- pool! Thought it was amusing that a soccer team actually name themselves after a "pool of liver"!

[DarkLord]

You meant "then" or "now"??

[Redz]

then lah... 4 yrs old watch soccer

[En0203]

bro, i don't know what u have gone thru. u seem to hate both proton and MY

 

my papa owns a proton too and we are happily owning it ever since

 

and i am definitely one proud malaysian too