Dr Mahathir : It is a mistake to remove Tunku Mahaleel

Govt must continue defending Proton: Mahathir

Proton must not lost it national carmaker identity

PUTRAJAYA:
The government must continue to protect Proton to ensure that it does not lose its identity as a national carmaker, Proton adviser and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.

When asked by reporters whether the government should continue protecting Proton, he said: “Ini tugas kerajaan yang lebih berkuasa, kalau kerajaan tak nak sokong Proton, matilah Proton
(This is the responsibility of the government, which has more power, if it doesn’t support Proton, then Proton will collapse).”

Dr Mahathir made the remarks when reporters met him after he had welcomed the Merdeka de’ Everest 2007 expedition team at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here.

Of Course....Proton need a Techinical Partner
When asked whether Proton really needed a technical partner, the former prime minister said: “Well, of course, Proton needs a technical partner but I don’t know why the negotiations (between Proton and Volkswagen) broke down.”


Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the government’s investment arm, owns around 43 percent of Proton and it said recently that talks are ongoing with VW and General Motors Corp.

Proton incurred a full-year pre-tax loss of RM619.9 million for the financial year ended March 31, reflecting the grim operating environment for the national carmaker.

It was a MISTAKE to remove Tengku Mahaleel
Referring to the losses incurred by Proton, Dr Mahathir again maintained that it was a mistake for the carmaker to have removed its former CEO, Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, as he had succeeded in bringing profits in the past.

Source :-
Extracted Partially from
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=19306
– BERNAMA

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