YOURSAY | ‘Appealing to national pride to sell a product is a failed marketing strategy.’

'Buy Proton or M'sia will become failed third world country'

Hibiscus: It is precisely thinking like Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s that has made Malaysia economically inefficient. He never thinks about wanting Malaysia to be first among equals in the world, which can only happen when hiring is based on meritocracy.

Is Proton hiring the best of human resources Malaysia has among its citizenry? No, let market forces prevail, not political agenda.

If Proton has to suffer and close down due to its lack of competitiveness, so be it. In the long run, it is good for the economic well-being of the country.

This is because every citizen will wake up and work hard, be inventive and not depend on his race or religion to earn a living.

Vijay47: Mr Know-it-all Mahathir-san, whether a nation is a failed state or not hardly depends on the number of cars it produces. Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe can readily testify to this.

A country's well-being also rests on other attributes, including the kind of government it has, how its various citizens are protected and cared for, and their belief that they have equal stake in the promises and challenges before them.

Moulding these cohesively should be institutions like the education system, and the judiciary and police who execute their responsibilities with the vigour and impartiality they were established for.

Alas, much of these were eroded, if not destroyed, during a certain man's 22-year rule. Remember him?

In view of your sunset years and your failing ‘apanama’ memory, it is understandable if you cannot.

A brief word to the wise - sticking your comments and barbs to PM Najib Abdul Razak and company might limit the brickbats heading your way. Arigato gozaimasu.

SteveOh: This is Mahathirism re-visited. Cars are not the only imported products. Malaysia imports lots of other things and it is naive to think buying Proton cars will save the country's economy.

Mahathir's economic idea of protectionism is very old-fashioned and even Australia has had to give up its household-name cars manufactured or assembled locally, i.e. Holden and Ford. How much of Proton parts and components are imported?

Asking people to buy Proton in Malaysia is asking the people to subsidise the Malaysian car which is sold cheaper abroad.

The master of half-truths should let Proton die a natural death or make it so good everyone will want one. Neither is happening and that's the way it is.

Appealing to national pride to sell a product is a failed marketing strategy and shows no understanding of consumer psychology and buying tendencies. The national car is Mahathir's jingoistic economics.

SSG: Hyundai started producing cars just about two years before Proton, give or take, if I am not mistaken. Now look at where Hyundai is and where is Proton.

This man was advised not to take this road by eminent economists of the day. He was informed this road would lead to disaster. But he did not follow their advice.

Our country can only become richer by exporting to other countries, not by shifting money from one pocket to the other. Foreign exchange has to be brought into the country from outside to increase wealth of our country. But exports for this car are negligible.

Why does he not say that he wanted to build tolled roads so that his alleged cronies could collect money from them and become rich by making more and more cars?

Now his sidekick can cross a toll plaza and pay the same RM1 (just as an example) in his Rolls Royce as a humble clerk would pay when he crosses the tolled road in his Perodua Kancil.

Clever Voter: Malaysia is already relatively a failed state. Given its huge resources and a diverse entrepreneurial population, successive governments chose to divide and rule to benefit themselves and the five percent elites.

Entering into auto industry carried strong merits but compared to South Koreans, Proton ignored governance and meritocracy in the name of national agenda. The downfall is inevitable.

Proton cannot even compete in Asean. If Mahathir is serious, he should spend time asking the top five percent why they don't buy his cars.

Proton has been protected for too long. Economic nationalism has to be earned through trust, quality and an image in which we can take pride. Ask the South Koreans.

MVA: I wonder what happens if every country tells their citizens to only buy local products. Then no one will buy our palm oil or tin or electronic goods or anything else produced in Malaysia. World trade will collapse.

Actually the smartest thing to do is for people to buy goods and services from the most efficient producers. So if we can make the best cost-effective gloves, then the whole world will buy from us.

Similarly, if Japan makes the best cameras, let's all buy from them. Why spend money and time trying to make cameras when we will only be playing catch-up for decades?

Malaysians have sacrificed enough for Proton

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