You were probably stunned watching it on yesterday’s live stream as we were seeing it for ourselves, but it definitely did happen – 22-year-old Aliya Raidah binti Abdul Malek won her way to a 2016 Proton Saga at the launch event, becoming the first person to own one.
It all started innocuously enough, with minister of youth and sports Khairy Jamaluddin delivering his usual speech before the car was launched – but then he walked away from the rostrum and called for a student born in September to come to the stage.
The human resource development student at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) was picked to come forward, and Khairy asked her a simple question – name three Proton model names beginning with the letter ‘S’. Aliya’s answer – Saga, Savvy and Satria – was, of course, correct, and Khairy handed her a Proton bag.
But then Khairy quipped, “Actually, if we want the Proton brand to be emblazoned in the hearts of the Malaysian youth, surely we can’t give Aliya just a bag.” And, to the surprise of everyone in the room, he pulled out the keys from his pocket and handed them to Aliya. That’s quite a door gift, if you ask us…
Read all you need to know about the 2016 Proton Saga in our comprehensive launch report here.
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AI-generated Summary ✨
Comments generally celebrate the student winning a new 2016 Proton Saga, highlighting the event's uniqueness in awarding a student rather than VIPs or ministers. Many express congratulations to Aliya, the winner, and appreciate Proton’s efforts. Some comments touch on Proton's marketing strategy, criticising the free car giveaways to officials and politicians, suggesting it’s not good business. Overall, sentiments are positive towards the winner and Proton’s initiative, with a few comments on broader topics like government involvement and car ownership culture.