Dr Mahathir to resign from his post as Proton adviser?

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According to a recent news report, Tun Dr Mahathir is believed to have tendered his resignation as Proton’s adviser. The letter has supposedly been sent, but the move has not been confirmed, with Dr M’s press secretary Sufi Yusoff telling The Edge that he had no knowledge of the matter.

UPDATE: It has been learnt that Dr Mahathir has dismissed reports saying he had resigned as Proton advisor. He told reporters this in passing during a talk held at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

The resignation, if true, follows on the departure of Proton’s deputy COO, Datuk Lukman Ibrahim, last month. Lukman was reported to have resigned from the company, this for the second time – he had earlier announced his resignation in July 2013, but rescinded that decision shortly after to continue on in the post.

The report mentioned that inside sources within Proton said that an issue that had upset Dr Mahathir was the departure of Lukman, who had been brought in by the Proton adviser.

lukman-ibrahim

The latest development also follows on the national automaker reportedly seeking up to RM3 billion of funding from Petronas and MITI for the development of new models, a request that was confirmed by Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed confirmed, who added that “it is still a work in progress.”

Proton has however denied that it applied for any development fund from MITI and Petronas, and also dismissed reports that it had committed RM3.8 billion to fund its business plans until 2017.

In related news, the two-year moratorium on the sale of Proton shares and assets by DRB-Hicom will lift this month – in March 2012, DRB-Hicom bought out Khazanah Holding’s 42.74% stake in the national automaker.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • kl fella on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    hopefully with mamakutty gone, proton will run like a normal corporate entity without some inputs and intervention from a near-senile oldie

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 92 Thumb down 66
    • Pinky on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      It’s about time, for Proton to move forward.. Goodbye Tun M.. And thank you for the expensive car prices for the past 30 years..

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 148 Thumb down 31
      • Petrolhead (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:02 pm

        Foresee no investors in the near future, everyone starts to bail Proton

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 7
        • Michael Ong on Mar 13, 2014 at 5:13 pm

          Better for Mahathir to go. He is the sole cause of every single household debt now. In every household in Malaysia, the car loan is the single biggest repayment. And because it is the biggest repayment, our children are deprived of better food and education.

          The past 30 years, 30 million people have been paying overpriced cars in Malaysia. All to support Proton and its crony supply network, who are bunch of cheats giving the 30 million rakyat low quality parts.

          The past 30 years, car prices have not really gone up globally. Infact, car prices have come down the pat 30 years. That is why, you can get top range CBU Japan Made Toyota Camry 2.5 or a CBU Japan Made Honda Accord 2.4 for USD$22,000. About RM60,000. Both these cars come with minimum 6 airbags and a host of safety features our CKD Accord or Camry can only dream off. And yet at these low prices, the Toyota or Honda dealership in the US already make their margin/profit and the US government already collected duties and excise.

          In the early 90s, one can buy a brand new Nissan Sunny 130Y, for a mere RM$20,000. Now, prices in Malaysia have skyrocketed 4 fold all because we are protecting Proton.

          So, not only Mahathir should go, Proton also should close shop. 30 milion people have suffered so much in the past 30 years paying high loans all because of the protection given to Proton and its crony parts suppliers, mostly Mahathir’s friends.

          Because of Mahathir and also Proton, Malaysia also lost out on becoming the Detroit of Asia. in the 80s and 90s, we were on our way of becoming the CKD hub of every car manufacturer in the world. But because of Mahathir, Proton and MITI controlling the prices of other car brands, all the car companies told us goodbye and left and Made Thailand the biggest car manufacturing player after Detroit. Infact, bigger than Detroit.

          Malaysia lost out hundreds of billions (not millions but billions) in investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs lost. Infact, the figure may run into trillions lost.

          GM recently announced that they have rolled out 1 million cars from just Thailand alone. Just imagine, if Malaysia collected a small RM10,000 in tax for each car rolled out, see how much we lost?

          And that is just GM. Multiply that figure with different car brands, and you can see, over the past 30 years, we have lost trillions in income.

          Which do you think is better? Lose hundreds of thousands of jobs by tens of car companies or lose just 30,000 jobs by Proton and its crony supply network if Proton closes shop?

          Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 184 Thumb down 35
          • Jimmy Lim on Mar 13, 2014 at 5:28 pm

            wow why u dont u be the next pm?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 87
          • Michael Ong on Mar 13, 2014 at 6:08 pm

            If not for Proton, Malaysia would have attained first world status 15 years ago. No need to wait 2020.

            Just one company prevented all this from happening. A chain effect happened and a domino effect happened that resulted in Malaysia losing trillions in US dollars.

            All to protect one man’s dream of benefitting himself and his crony vendors!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 61 Thumb down 25
          • Same Lor on Mar 13, 2014 at 7:17 pm

            No more Tun M, who is going to cover the J* class?

            The Proton should follow Tun M. Tun M resign, they close down, only Malaysian will be benefited.

            Really sick of the Proton 4S concept (Sendiri Cakap, Sendiri Syok, Sentiasa Rosak, Sales Carnival).

            *J = Junk

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 16
          • kzm (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 10:02 pm

            Give la one other country in ASEAN that can give USD20k for Camry CBU with min 6 airbags n not protect p1..I belanja u mkn if u get one…

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 8
          • ‘And because it is the biggest repayment, our children are deprived of better food and education.’

            Before I would give my children bad food, I would rather drive a bicycle or walk.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 3
          • Obviously (Member) on Mar 14, 2014 at 7:27 am

            The Proton-hate has blinded you to recent times, it seems. While the car prices for foreign cars may have increased back then in order to protect Proton, the government now has grown so reliant on the extra revenue that Proton closing shop would very, very unlikely result in reductions in car prices. And you’d think just one company stops Malaysia from being a first world country? I would rather say it is the whole system that Proton is but a small part of that has barred Malaysia from greatness. The corruption, the cronyism, it all gets in the way of progress. Those who actually have vision, drive, determination, talent are stomped on so that someone’s third cousin may be the president of a company that he has not a clue how to manage properly.

            The effect of Proton closing down will not just affect the 30,000 odd jobs that they provide. Its closing will create a void for others to fill in, anyway. But I would not be so arrogant as to claim to know what the full effect of its closing down will be.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
          • Obviously (Member) on Mar 14, 2014 at 7:35 am

            But make no mistake. I do think that the M leaving P1 would be better for the future of the company. The further away from political influence the better, though one cannot totally escape politics.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
      • Albert Lee on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:11 pm

        We have been totally deprived of driving affordable Japanese cars for 30 years cos of Protong,which is a FAILED BUSINESS ENTITY and which should not exist at all.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 52 Thumb down 19
      • Vader on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:35 pm

        Thanks for your great effort for last few decades in the automotive field.
        From: Thailand Automotive Industry Association

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 44 Thumb down 8
      • It still possess the PROTON name no matter what. Malaysian perception remain.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
    • kzm (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      Racist comment

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 47
    • kl fella is so rude on Mar 13, 2014 at 5:30 pm

      kl fella = bad mouth.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 9
    • Olala on Mar 13, 2014 at 11:14 pm

      Hopefully with kl fella gone, peace come.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
      • Accordana on Mar 14, 2014 at 8:28 am

        Proton & Dr.M – The cancer of Malaysia automotive industry. No cure at all.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 12
  • GOOD!! then proton might have a chance to compete with other car maker and come out a better car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 10
  • I'M 22BUT I LIKETHENEWCAMRY on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    Please Oh Please… MAKE THIS A REVOLUTION.

    Pls dont hold on to Proton any tighter any longer.

    Just let it go. Finally its time.

    The people of this whole country will benefit from not needing to protect a company loosing money. Cheaper cars to come soon..

    Please let it be time.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 51 Thumb down 7
    • KangKungMan on Mar 13, 2014 at 3:00 pm

      Dr. M decided to “surrender” in Proton – coz he also beh tahan liao … Shame for keep protecting Proton … asking Tax Payer to keep pump in RM into Proton.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 8
  • Guan Yin Ma (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    walao. How can you decide to ignore your son forever ……….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 6
  • Steve Jobs on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    ahhh poyo lah.skit skit resign.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 6
  • Datuk on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    finally…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 6
  • Anti-Fuel-Price on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    TUN, u serve long as countrymen & adviser. Is time u take a good rest & travel around the world. Your contribution is beyond anybody. Take Care TUN if “report” were true! Thank YOU TUN

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 28
  • kl fella on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    it’s just so odd that an ex medical practitioner and a retired politician whom i think doesn’t know nuts about the automotive or oil & gas world can be adviser to Proton and Petronas for so many donkey years.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 22
  • KangKungMan on Mar 13, 2014 at 2:56 pm

    Dr. M – Come back … Come back … Pls dun just resign like that – pls “close up Proton” with you … Dun leave “trouble” to others … TQVM.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 60 Thumb down 15
  • Seriously on Mar 13, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    FINALLY! Some actual GOOD NEWS from Proton.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 11
  • Yes, please resign and don’t interfere in future.
    Now hired real car specialist/designer and CEO (no hanky panky) with far-sighted vision then Proton will have hope to compete in the global market.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 9
  • AVH (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    The further proton distance itself from politics the better. Proton was brought up by Mahathir as a national project rather than an actual car company and unlike most other car companies, the primary desire wasn’t to built products that will be driven and loved by people world wide but rather to provide jobs/contracts for domestic companies. The result is that proton is reluctant to expand beyond and risk loosing national identity and pride. Thou the idea of car design/engineered and develop by Malaysian seems prideful but this thinking has prevented proton from growing further. Even today major Japanese, Korean, European and American companies hire and exchange talents internationally rather than keeping it to themselves, it can be argued that a larger number of their workforce are international rather than domestic.

    I personally believe it was Mahathir and his political desire that kept proton From growing. I do not know how much of this chains will loosen with Mahathir(if) but it should benefit proton in one way or another.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 8
    • KangKungMan on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:05 pm

      Aiyo … Hard lar to avoid Politics … Even MAS Case … See other news agency bang our Menteri… our local news paper … siput siput news nia … dun dare to bang … although already know our weak points… Overseas dun cover lor .. not GE 13 news ler !!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 5
      • AVH (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 5:22 pm

        I dind’t say avoid, I say distance. In this day and age no line of professions and type of buisness can avoid the iron grip that is politics(maybe Bomoh?). Proton is a very politicaly oriented company, and look back at history, there is no Automobile company that a national guverment has such a tight grip on. Most if not all automobile companies efforts can be traced down to a visionary and sadly Proton’s effort can only be traced back to Dr M himself and as politician, I don’t think he is looking to what benefit the company but what benefits his legacy.

        I too am dissapointed at Malaysia’s handling of the Mas situation. It took the army so long to authenticate and reveal that an aircraft of that size has slip past the peninsula and into the Straits of Melaka. This is not a B2 Stealth bomber but a full size jet liner, and the region like ASEAN is not what i call remote. Our national air defense is truly laughable.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 5
        • Obviously (Member) on Mar 14, 2014 at 7:43 am

          It’s like game-making. If a game is made by a bunch of businessmen who only have interest of making a quick buck and ride off the profit wave of a games boom, they would make a horrendous game that true gamers will shun and casual users would feel disappointed about. In Proton, I do not think the ones giving the company direction are really that enthusiastic about driving and cars. To give some contrast, the founder of Lotus, however, is a completely different story. His exploits revolutionized Formula 1! Ours? The first Saga’s platform was used for about 20 years with several facelifts. Don’t feel like wanna progress ar?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • Vision lover on Mar 30, 2014 at 7:15 pm

      well said, so far yours is he best comment I have read. Expansion to the global market is always better than staying traditional.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • W204 C63 on Mar 13, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    I speculate DRB-Hicom is preparing to sell off Proton to VW, or at least VW is buying a significant amount of Proton’s shares. This is why Mahathir is departing, obviously upset by that.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 6
    • Desmond Tan on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:35 pm

      sell off Proton to VW? hell no!!! If im VW i won’t buy Proton shares. its all sampah…!!!!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 8
      • Why? it can be a “Win-Win” deal. German engineered with National car entity.. look on how they setup SEAT (Spain) and Skoda (Czech).

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • No Ultraman Anymore on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Finally…..

    This Selfish guy who makes the whole country borne with huge car debts and make all the imported car prices increase just to keep his own wallet fat and juicy ~

    Hope he migrate to other country and get lost from our sight.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 29 Thumb down 10
  • Albert Lee on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    The founder and his henchman have decided to call it a day.But wait a minute….The new Arab is not an easy boss.During the recession in 1997,this guy is very PROFESSIONAL in cutting suppliers claims and RETRENCHMENT of excess staff.
    If sales do not improve and THE BLEEDING CONTINUES,he will wield his big AXE on redundant staffs.
    Even if the new mamak decided to bungkus Protong,Car prices would not drop drastically cos of the RM 8 Billion of vehicle taxes,a temptation which is too difficult to resist.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 5
  • I hope this news is true and hopefully there will be no more political hands trying to disturb or being overprotective to Proton. It is time for Proton to be independent and use all of it’s capability and creativity without intervention from accountant-heads. Proton engineers will have freedom in decision making and this of course translates to better and more unique cars.

    This is the moment that most Proton ex-engineers have been waiting for.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 2
    • techsmart on Mar 14, 2014 at 1:03 pm

      No such thing as never. When Najib got nbtd, he’d come in and be the hero.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Ultraman on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Dr.Kutty advised Proton sampai also bankrupt baru nak resign? Smart move! Btw, Dr. Kutty dah resigned kah belum dari Petronas?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 5
  • I want it now on Mar 13, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    most people say proton is cheap and lousy

    The parts are quite premium , the people who make the car during the car making process is at fault

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 17
  • Steve Kok on Mar 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Farewell.. The rakyat thank you for expensive car prices since 1986.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 3
  • i think this is a good news for future of proton. i wish all the best to Tun M.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • guan eng jr. on Mar 13, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    local banks suck more blood from the poorer, higher interest rate for local car than foreign car. Inhumane economics theory and againts national aspiration to support local products.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
  • Jason on Mar 13, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    I love my country, but this particular man gain zero respect from me, now and future. I am not interested to know any news about him.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 7
  • fast5 on Mar 13, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    Resign as a adviser but still the REAL OWNER OF Protong……. just call off protong put end of msia misery!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
  • Banyaknya hantu kibod red bean shuh shuh

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 19
  • Samad Jain on Mar 13, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    Should Dr M resigns, who I even care??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 4
  • Low Budget on Mar 13, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    Proton is in private hands now, so why need TDM as an adviser?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • tokmoh (Member) on Mar 13, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    Argh, accidentally entered too early.

    Anyway, other people busy improving their products, while Proton busy politicking. Small wonder others are so far ahead making over 20km/l fc, every safety items standard, at reasonable price, while proton still making gas guzzling junk, while ripping off poor customers they’re supposed to be helping.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • abdullah on Mar 13, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    Good riddance

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • even mahathir resigned, the company will reduce national car price ? if they reduce, where they get money to feed their staffs ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • abdullah on Mar 13, 2014 at 10:12 pm

    His policy of Ketuaan – trying to monopolize the car
    industry is a flop.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • Olala on Mar 13, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      Lets choose karpal singh to become a new advicer. Sure support communist engineer and technology.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 7
      • Milobun on Mar 14, 2014 at 7:24 am

        I doubt you know anything about communism. You should find out about it yourself instead of letting others to mind f u. Anyway, i finally get to see a Suprima S today and it’s butt is appealing to me…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • Aisyehmen, baru nak rejoice with the news, sekali ada update kata not true pulak … Isk … Bila la Proton akan jadi truly free from politics … Haih …

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • jolly_idiot (Member) on Mar 14, 2014 at 12:17 am

    Good that this old fart is gone. But bad that proton still exist. They should both go together.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • We need fresh mind and innovation. Take Carlos Ghosn of Nissan, how he turned around Nissan which almost went bankcrupt. He even introduced the Nissan GTR. I am not saying we need a GTR from proton but grasp the “Fresh idea & Innovation” from Carlos Ghosn. He has made his name with Nissan. Look how much has Nissan improved under him and look on Malaysian roads there as more nissan than ever.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
    • techsmart on Mar 14, 2014 at 1:01 pm

      It’s still terrible compared to almost every other brand out there. There’s probably also more kia forte on the road than any specific nissan models.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • inderaloka on Mar 14, 2014 at 2:38 am

    Pheww… what a relief…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • CAMPRO on Mar 14, 2014 at 4:45 am

    proton is good company but it falls on wrong hand so sad.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Rinnegan on Mar 14, 2014 at 6:22 am

    TDM, is this one of your ‘Perjuangan yang sudah selesai’?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Chong on Mar 14, 2014 at 8:23 am

    Why do we still care for the old man that supposed to disappear long time ago? Just let him leave quietly. We do not need to report it.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • palehotak on Mar 14, 2014 at 9:07 am

    too many proton ex-owner commenting here, kesian

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • start-a-fight on Mar 14, 2014 at 9:11 am

    lukman was not brought in by dr. m.. he was the group it head for drb-hicom group and transferred to proton as seconded after the take over.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • waah so many buthurt. lepas geram? mesti banyak hutang ni. tu la, next time beli kereta ikut kemampuan. bukan slhkan dr m bila dah sesak. looser.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • totti on Mar 14, 2014 at 11:43 am

    Why need a failure advisor?

    28 years still need protection and subsidies to survive. What a joke.

    Malaysian has lost all the opportunity (job and revenue) to become a Detroit in USA because of this MAMAK that made his cronies to become billionair at the expense of the majority poor Malay.

    Mamak india always use the “Hidup Malayu” statement to con the Melayu.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
  • Lemer on Mar 14, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    Some poor losers here blame Dr. M for their miserable life hahaha.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 5
    • Pengguna Bijak on Mar 14, 2014 at 12:42 pm

      Only losers still buying Proton car. Bunch of low lifes hahaha.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 7
  • techsmart on Mar 14, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    Retire or not, his time as a human being is almost up. :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Reading comments by some fellas here, we can feel how incompetent they are and how little they have achieved and they blame the old man for their self lackey.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 5
  • M…. Please don’t go, we want more accord-dana, inspira lancer…. P1 won’t survive without you… cause you took everything away…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • Samad Jain on Mar 15, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    mahathir merajuk kot??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • chikubi on Mar 15, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    Reading all the comments…I wonder anyone above is working with P1 and knows Dr.M contribution or they just talks c**k..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
 

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