A new ad on radio is going around; i've heard it on Hitz.fm several times already. Its the one extolling the virtues of our proud and (in)famous national car company, Proton.
"Contributed 13 billion ringgit to the Malaysian economy... created 100,000 jobs... etc..."
Puke, puke.
I don't care about these figures because in the larger scheme of things, honestly, as far as the car industry goes, they're pretty insignificant (c'mon - 13 billion ringgit, or just over US$4 billion is chump change in the auto industry).
What i do care about are:
# Why does Proton insist it requires another 20 years of Government protection? Protection for Proton = perpetually expensive cars for the Malaysian consumer.
# Why does Proton sell its cars in the foreign market for a cheaper price than what we pay here for our own "national" car? I was in Australia recently and a Proton Waja with export specs (e.g. ABS, Air Bags, etc.) costs just AUD$17,000 ++. Taking into consideration PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) principles, that's PEANUTS. For an inferior model, Malaysians are paying RM$65k ++.
Those are the questions i want answered in an ad. Whoever approved the BS we're hearing now should be fired.
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