Blame All On Tun Mahatir

Can we have sincerity in the Proton debate? Leaving politics aside, I think the whole debate over the future of Proton and the National Automobile Policy (NAP) is filled with baloney and hot air.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned as the Prime Minister in October, 2003. If indeed the government was sincere in fixing the problems in Proton, why was he appointed Proton chairman as recently as May 2014? Now, with his resignation a few days ago, cabinet ministers are suddenly wiser on Proton and the NAP.

Before this, most ministers were blind and deaf in supporting a company with no ability to compete and pursued a national policy that has caused misery to a generation of car users in the country. What is the point of talking about the issue now when a generation has been deprived of a better car at half the price, all because of our intransigence and false sense of national pride?

Suddenly everything is Mahathir’s fault.

A day after his resignation, MITI minister Mustapa Mohamed, came up with a “comprehensive paper” on Proton and NAP. With due respect, nothing mentioned in the minister’s paper was new. This was what most Malaysians have been raising for years but it had fallen on deaf ears.

“Horror stories of non-executive chairman’s direct interference and ‘dictatorial leadership style’ in Proton are slowly emerging. Shocking!” Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan tweeted on Saturday.

“Proton’s shareholders and BOD (board of directors) must be brave to tackle any legacy problems left by the ex-chairman. In other words, Proton must be serious & not be afraid to unshackle the culture of ‘deaf, dumb & blind’ in Proton,” the local government, housing and urban wellbeing minister said in successive tweets.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the minister who wants to set up digital malls all over the country, was talking about rational economics, the downside of interference and the need for Proton to have strategic partners, market size and profits.

But why didn’t they think of all these before the government appointed Mahathir as chairman of Proton? Similarly, why didn’t they think about it before his resignation recently?

For years we have been pursuing a policy that is unsustainable, unrealistic and supporting a company that we think can defy the law of gravity. We tolerated inefficiency and subsidies and exploited Malaysian car users to the hilt. In the process we lost the opportunity to become the auto hub of Asean which could have attracted billions of foreign investment and generated thousands of higher value-added jobs. Our intransigence and hubris have become Thailand’s opportunity.

Suddenly our cabinet ministers have become smarter. Now they are talking economics, market, efficiency, prudence, and the downside of subsidy. I just wish that it is true this time.

Article by: T K Chua (source FMT)