YOURSAY 'Yes, let Proton die if it cannot compete. This is the rule of business. Why pay for a lemon when you can have an orange?'

KJ: Cheaper foreign cars will kill Proton

Not Confused: In this global economy, every business has to compete, and in the case of national carmaker Proton, it has to compete internationally or it will die anyway.

Let's face it, what mature country has a ‘national' car in this day and age? Very few.

The automobile industry is truly international. At some point, Proton is going to have to face the tough wind of competition, so the sooner the better, to help it become more dynamic, rather than be provided with annual financial crutches to keep it afloat.

If it dies, the workforce freed will be absorbed in other more successful businesses that will flourish from the additional spending flowing through the economy.

Moontime: Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin is implying that the greater good of the rakyat must be sacrificed for the benefit of a few Proton workers and vendors.

If Proton is as good as it's perceived to be, then why should it be afraid of competition? This SAM (Sindrom Anak Manja) must end now. For more than two decades, the government has been protecting this national car project at a huge cost - the rakyat's opportunity for affordable, quality transportation.

If Proton thinks that it cannot handle competition then, the most prudent thing to do is get out of the industry or establish a strategic alliance/merge with another car manufacturer.

I doubt that Proton has the willpower to do either one due to political interference and other factors only they know.

PKR is not promoting a populist policy here. They are just being realistic and are listening to the people, something Umno-BN has failed to do consistently over the years.

Guna Otak Sikit: Why is it so important that Proton survives? Has it benefitted the rakyat? On the contrary, the prices of cars went up because of Proton. Malaysia is one of the top five nations in the world in terms of high car prices.

Proton created jobs for Malaysian? Look at Thailand, the Detroit of Asia. How many more jobs has Thailand created by encouraging foreign car manufacturers to set up plants there? I would hazard a guess - that this has created hundred of thousands more jobs than Proton.

Proton enhanced the technological prowess of Malaysians in car manufacturing? Look at the quality of Proton. Would I be proud of its quality? I am more impressed with the current Kia and Hyundai.

Proton is one of the well-known examples of an ex-PM with a huge ego, who used (or misused) the country's resources to create unnecessary symbols of development. Indeed, Proton has ended up more of a burden to the rakyat and a waste of the country's resources.

SMC77: If we open up our market, there will be more investments made by international carmakers in Malaysia.

Thailand is taking advantage of our national car policy and there are millions of workers employed by these carmakers and their vendors. Who is losing more to our stupid policy - Malaysia or Proton?

Queenie: ‘Potong harga' is more preferable to Proton Saga.

Sarajun Hoda: You don't milk the cow until it dies. So you cannot squeeze Malaysians by making them pay too much so that federal leaders will have more to steal. This is not fair. This is cruel.

Find other innovative but justified ways of filling up the government coffers that also matches the quality of government service to the people.

Pemerhati: This defender of the Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family's (cows and condos) project is again spouting more nonsense.

Let us ignore Khairy's other nonsense and just look at his concern about the RM4.6 billion in revenue which currently is collected by the government by forcing the people to pay the exorbitant import and excise taxes.

Unlike PKR's Rafizi Ramli, who is happy that the people will have the extra RM4.6 billion to spend, Khairy is concerned that the government will not be squeezing out that money from the hard-pressed people.

This is obviously because he is worried that his Umno and its cronies will have that much less money to spend on projects and purchases from where they habitually siphon off their loot.

Pakatan Rakyat will have no problem in overcoming the RM4.6 billion and other shortfalls in revenue which could result from their programmes, because when Umno is out of power, the RM60 billion or so that is currently stolen by them annually, will be added to the country's coffers.

James1067: Khairy, the Malaysians cannot be used as cash cows so that your cronies and friends can make more money. Why are we subsidising foreigners so that they can buy Proton cheaper?

Chin: There is a general trend in the world, the more backward a country (with the exception of land scarce countries like Singapore), the higher the import tax and excise duty on cars. The more developed a country is, the lower the import tax and excise duty on cars.

It is as if cars are treated as luxury items for the elite in the backward countries and treated as common utility for the citizens in developed countries. It's a demonstration of the culture of egality versus elitism.

It is the policy of oppression of the people versus the policy of compassion for the people.

Malaysia makes the common car such a big deal and makes the average wage-earning Ahmad break his back trying to own one.

He has to pay a car loan lasting nine years (where else in the world does a guy have to get a nine-year loan to buy a tin can on wheels?) and furthermore spend half his wages on repairs of this tin can every month. It's a vicious cycle of poverty.

Kenneth_2585: KJ, look at the number of negative comments here and you'll know how the public feels about bailing out an incompetent company.

Not to mention the numerous precious lives lost over the years due to Proton's crap quality, whenever there is a fatal collision involving Proton and other carmakers, you'll find that Proton's passengers' mortality outnumber other carmakers.

This is my own observation based on newspaper photos over the last few years. Someone please prove me wrong!

Sabahan: Frankly, it is better for Proton to be killed than millions of Malaysians.

Headhunter: Yes, let Proton die if it cannot compete. This is the rule of business. Why pay for a lemon when you can have an orange?

After so many years in existence, they still can't make quality cars because components are made by entrenched cronies who care more for profit than improving their quality.

Look at South Korea. They are now so confident of the quality of their cars that they carry a five-year warranty and unlimited mileage. Let's see Proton do the same.

Jesse: Proton should improve or die a natural death like other industries. Other more efficient carmakers may take its place.

Proton has been a spoilt child natured by former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the expense of all Malaysians. It's time for it to learn to swim or be drown.

Imagine no more APs (approved permits) and the like - all those cronies will have to sell cars like everyone else.

These people have grown rich without much effort, and at the rakyat's expense. Let Malaysians choose the type of cars they want at competitive prices.

Chikadee: Judging from the comments on the slashing of car prices, one will know how angry and frustrated are with Proton and BN. Has KJ been reading Malaysiakini ?

Gary Murrell: Who drives a Black Porsche Cayenne with the registration number MM1? You only get one guess.

Bite the bullet, put Proton out to pasture

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