International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed was quoted by The Sun daily as saying: “We understand that DRB-Hicom will continue to lead in the management of Proton. That’s the information I received.
“But of course, it’s a business decision. So whatever it is, we leave it to the company to decide what is best for them.”
Speaking to reporters after attending a seminar on the Asean Economic Community, Mustapa said it would be better to ask DRB-Hicom directly, as it owned Proton.
On May 24, DRB-Hicom reached an agreement to sell a 49.9% stake in its loss-making Proton to Geely. The Chinese automaker is also acquiring a 51% stake in automaker Lotus from Proton as part of the deal.
Meanwhile, The Sun quoted Mustapa as saying his ministry would launch the Asean Circle – a programme to gather local prominent figures from various sectors to discuss the country’s push for better business opportunities in Asean – on June 18.
“We will have politicians, corporate figures, academicians, civil society, and think tanks, among others, and have regular discussions, maybe once a month.
“It will be a small group of 30 to 40 people, and they will come up with fresh ideas on how to move things,” he was quoted as saying.