Still a babe or a young adult?

One thing for sure I know is that the Malaysian mentality is still not mature enough, at least in the automotive sector. What makes me sick is the immature attitude of the major players in the industry. Tengku has a point when he openly criticise the quality of the parts supplied by the local vendors. But was it right for him to say that the government is treating Proton unfairly? Perodua isn't complaining at all. Why is it so?

Proton, being the older of the two national car makers in Malaysia should have learned from its mistake and experiences in the past to better equip itself to take on the challenges that lies in its course. Although this is the logic, Perodua seems to be leading the pack of two. There is a likelihood that the two most costly mistakes were with the Tiara and Juara.

Firstly, the Tiara was a flop because it was based on an old Citreon AX. The spare parts were expensive and are still expensive. I think one would make more profit if one sells parts by parts rather thant the whole car.

Juara on the other hand is based on a very popular Japanese model by Mitsubishi, their former technical partner. Have the management really sat down and plan before executing a plan such as these. One probable explaination for the failure of the Juara is that the Japanese consumers are differnt from the Malaysian. Consumers make up the bulk of the market. Where should the focus be-the product offered or satisfying the consumer's needs?

The Proton Vendors Association President, Dr. Wan Mohamed Wan Embong asked for more protection. Protection from what may I ask? The automotive sector is already 20 years old. This is ridiculus. More ridiculus it is when one said 20 years is not enough. If the Koreans can make in lesser time, why can't we? Where is the Malaysia Boleh spirit? Rather than waiting for the governement to implement a new policy that is bias towards the vendors and Proton, why don't they take the first step in improving themselves and consequently their product. Do they also want Lotus and MV Agusta to be protected?