YOURSAY | ‘Hasn't Proton suffered enough over the past 30 years with its discriminative policies?’
Bumiputera discriminated under new Proton, claims Pekema
Vijay47: Zainuddin Abdul Rahman, you and your Malaysian Association of Malay Vehicle Importers and Traders (Pekema) keep whining that the new Proton management is discriminating against bumiputeras. How so?
Proton's new emphasis is equally applicable to bumis and non-bumis and yet you gripe that this puts you at a disadvantage. What is so great about non-bumis that they are expected to succeed and what is so ungreat about bumis that they are sure to fail?
The problem with you is that for too long, 60 years, you have been mollycoddled and given rewards without effort on a platter.
You have no capital? What happened to all that limitless funds from the countless bodies set up to help bumis? Spent on buying condos for cows and overseas study tours?
You want to make millions? Easy, stop looking for excuses, go out into the sun and rain, till and toil from dawn to dusk, sweat your sweat, break your back, and you will experience something sweet you never did before - hard-earned riches.
Ipohcrite: Not giving preferential treatment to vendors who charge more than market price, their bumi status notwithstanding, is not discrimination. It's pure business.
Ever wonder why meritocracy is ardently embraced by all successful countries?
Shibboleth: For those who are used to preferential treatment, any withdrawal would be viewed as "discriminatory".
It’s time to grow up and face the real world where products must be of high quality and cheaper than the competitors.
Puzzling: Hasn't Proton suffered enough over the past 30 years with its discriminative policies? Hasn't a select group of people been favoured all along and if after 30 years, they still cannot get themselves to another level, they only have themselves to blame.
The automotive industry is fiercely competitive. There is no room for favouritism or cronyism. Proton can only progress if it practises meritocracy.
Sidelining the unproductive staff or distributors is not discrimination. It is just part of best practices in any organisation.
Demi Rakyat: Surely the bumis who are hard-working and have initiative shouldn't find upgrading their outlets from 1S (sales) to 3S (sales, service and spare parts) a problem.
Only those who are waiting to be fed would face problems. In this case, it’s high time for these people to look for some other business, like opening stores in Mara Digital Mall or something like that.
Ipoh Pp: For too long the country has suffered as you have stretched your hand and the cake has been placed in it.
Learn to bake your own cake. It’s good that PM Najib Razak has made this deal with China. It’s time you lot grow up and not expect to be fed from 'womb to tomb'.
Hamzah Paiman: Indeed, after 60 years of independence, you still need a free ride. Instead of bucking up, you have already surrendered. What does that tell about our race? Better still, go to the streets with a cup and beg.
Learn to work hard and that is what former minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been asking us to do. Be like the Japanese. Do the Toyota or Honda workers go crying to the government for help?
Anonymous 2439891477538802: It is rather disappointing to hear Zainuddin's comments about the fate of bumi car dealers in view of the fact that after 49 years of affirmative action, the indigenous community is still relying on government-imposed restrictions to conduct their businesses.
One would have thought that they would feel ashamed about the need for crutches and quotas after half a century of molly-coddling.
Anonymous_2679c6e5: There is no bumiputera agenda. There is only one agenda - the Malaysian agenda. To help Malaysia and Proton, you must get on your own two feet and off the life support system that has been sucking Malaysian taxpayers’ money dry.
Rather than crying and howling, these dealers should review all the added costs that have been sinking Proton through the corrupt patronage system.
And the way to help Proton is not by bringing in more China-made cars but by upgrading Proton's efficiency and technological capabilities to compete and sell its cars in the local and overseas markets, including the Chinese market, and achieve economies of scale.
Vgeorgemy: Why do we have a shortage of skilled personnel among bumi communities when they dominate our science and technology universities and technical schools?
If it is the case of shortage of funds, we should recall the unutilised funds sitting with the crony companies and politicians to funds such profit-making ventures. What are the issues here?
Democrat: This is like a child, who obtained a degree with the help of special privileges, entering the workforce and continue wanting special privileges.
It is like wanting a piece of land to build one’s own house while others are left to fend for themselves. And he seeks special privileges for his own kids.
This cycle will continue to kingdom come if the people do not want to change. No one is special in this world at the end of the day.
Clever Voter: Zainuddin has to face the harsh realities of business. Having been protected with special privileges under the so-called Malay social agenda, it’s time he and his members help support Proton, based on its requirements.
Proton was sold on the understanding it needs a turnaround to compete. The company has bled from poor quality cars, one of which has to be blamed squarely on the suppliers where Proton has been held hostage.
If consolidation means some have to close shop, so be it. After all, the law of jungle applies here – not to just one ethnic group but all.
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