ONE secretary-general Azeem Abu Bakar and exco member Alia Aishah said the organisation believed that rebuilding the industry would help Malaysia regain its pride as one of the few developing countries with expertise in automobiles and heavy machinery.

In a statement, they urged the government to also consider re-acquiring the 49.9% stake in Proton that was sold to Geely last year, saying this would save the country both time and resources.

“Alternatively, providing support to a ready-made entity such as Perodua may make more sense considering the circumstances,” they said.

Noting, however, that the government had previously channelled some RM15 billion to Proton to keep it afloat, they urged Putrajaya to weigh other options like investing in high-tech public transportation.

“We have no doubt about Mahathir’s capability to turn around our automobile industry, given that Proton was a profitable, tax-paying entity under his previous premiership.

“However, we must consider that more cars on the road does not mean improvement to the quality of life. If embarking on a national car project again subjects itself to protectionist policies, it would mean that such a move will burden the people with higher cost of living from having to pay higher excise duties for foreign cars and high local car prices.”

If the government had the funds for a second national car project, they said, it would make more sense to use the money to revamp the public transport system.

“This, we believe, is a priority. The quantity of cars on the road is not an indicator of an improvement to the quality of the life of Malaysians; it is seamless, reliable, and eco-friendly commuting which does.

“As the saying goes, ‘a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It is where the rich use public transportation’.”

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