Hantu Laut
Who is to blame for the Trengganu Menteri Besar indignation that he was right to approve the purchase of those Mercs as official cars for his assemblymen? One should ask the Sultan of Trengganu who appointed him to the post.
I couldn't agree more with him on why he abandoned the Protons in favour of the Merc.Almost all Proton models are not known for its quality.My only question is the timing right to splurge on this kind of luxury when the economy is on the decline and the people are going through the worst patch of their lives as the economy worsen and the costs of living continue to spiral upward.Shouldn't people like him lead by example and go on austerity drive, if he ever heard of the word.
Most people wouldn't really care if the economic climate had been more favourable.
When political leaders goes round telling the rakyat to tighten their belts and not overspend, the rakyat expect them to show example and do the same.What they spend are taxpayer money not their own money and an act of prudence is expected of them.
Menteri Besar Ahmad Said thinks just because he was appointed by the Sultan he can do anything he likes without giving any due respect to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. He has probably forgotten that he is an UMNO Menteri Besar and should abide the party rules.If he is Pakatan Menteri Besar than it's up to him to deal with matters of state under his jurisdiction.
An unnamed Federal Minister said the Cabinet wasn't happy with what he did but is helpless.
After making demand that Abdullah return the Wang Ehsan to Trengganu, he deems it fits to go on a spending spree.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Devil Incarnate
Hantu Laut
Lies,half-truths and deception are the sauces of his existence.There is a devil in every men, some God forfend not to manifest, some do and some are:
the incarnation of evil, a betrayer has been born
the king of all deceivers, upon the throne of scorn
an enviable position of power, wealth and glory
to keep the key to the ignition of the purgatory
follow me and you'll succeed
my disciples, you're now a part of me
you reap what you sow, then you roll the dice
how could we ever know that it was the devil in disguise?
the pawns that made the way through this narrow path
for how long will they obey once they taste the grapes of wrath?
now, this wheel of fortune - it spins too fast for you
once it gets in motion there is nothing you can do
follow me and you'll succeed
my disciples, you're now a part of me
you reap what you sow, then you roll the dice
how could we ever know that it was the devil in disguise?
such blindness never seen in the history of man
dictators, rulers of their holy lands
scapegoat sacrified, gently led to slaughter
successor to the throne - the devil's own daughter?
Song Lyrics:Nonexist
A tribute to Anwar Ibrahim, the man who wanted to be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia and Condoleeza Rice who poked her proboscis where it shouldn't be.
Lies,half-truths and deception are the sauces of his existence.There is a devil in every men, some God forfend not to manifest, some do and some are:
the incarnation of evil, a betrayer has been born
the king of all deceivers, upon the throne of scorn
an enviable position of power, wealth and glory
to keep the key to the ignition of the purgatory
follow me and you'll succeed
my disciples, you're now a part of me
you reap what you sow, then you roll the dice
how could we ever know that it was the devil in disguise?
the pawns that made the way through this narrow path
for how long will they obey once they taste the grapes of wrath?
now, this wheel of fortune - it spins too fast for you
once it gets in motion there is nothing you can do
follow me and you'll succeed
my disciples, you're now a part of me
you reap what you sow, then you roll the dice
how could we ever know that it was the devil in disguise?
such blindness never seen in the history of man
dictators, rulers of their holy lands
scapegoat sacrified, gently led to slaughter
successor to the throne - the devil's own daughter?
Song Lyrics:Nonexist
A tribute to Anwar Ibrahim, the man who wanted to be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia and Condoleeza Rice who poked her proboscis where it shouldn't be.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Proton,M.V Augusta And Mahathir Re-Visited.
Hantu Laut
The recent sale of M.V.Augusta to Harley-Davidson should raise controversy over the sale of Proton's majority stake in the company.Proton's equity was what we in business circle called sold for a song.Sold for a pittance of 1 Euro.Although the buyer took over the liabilities, the sale is still questionable.
The excuse was that losses at Augusta would drag Proton down faster into insolvency. Little attention was given to the net tangible assets and goodwill on its advanced technology in design and manufacture of high-end motorbikes.Goodwill or intangibles can cost a lot of money to the right buyer.
The sale was made about a year ago.Did Proton approach Harley or any other bikes manufacturer at that time? Within a year the buyer that bought Proton's share has made money out of it.It appears that Proton and our government now look like blundering fools.
Like former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammed I have serious doubt on the genuineness of those who decided to dispose of the share in such a manner.I can only think of two possibilities, one to discredit the former Prime Minister and the other, something more sinister.
High performance Augusta bikes.
It would be interesting to find out the true identity of the buyer of the 1 Euro share purchase, whether a nominee company was used and whether the purchaser has the financial capacity to undertake the takeover of majority stake in M.V.Augusta.Lastly, if the purchase was genuine, on a willing seller and willing buyer basis, were there incentives paid to the decision makers in Proton to influence their decisions to sell the share?
Although I do not agree with some of Mahathir's recent actions and attacks on the current government, I have great admiration for some of the things he did for this nation during his tenure as PM.At least there were political stability and the economy was doing well.Needless to say there were no hound dogs barking at the government, because there were no major issues except his autocratic ways.
There are two sides to the controversy regarding the viability of Proton.Some were in total disagreement with Mahathir and think he shouldn't have embarked on the costly project while some believe it a launching pad for other ancillary industries to grow and it's worth the risk if Malaysia were to enter the status of industralised countries.
The problem was not with Mahathir, the real problem lies with those given the task to develop the company and those in decision making, not many took pride in their job and move with the time. There was no infusion of new and better technology as was done by other carmakers.After over twenty years Proton has still not been able to proudly manufacture its own engines and gearboxes.
When I first started blogging in June 2007 I wrote an article on the crisis at Proton.I have very low readership at that time and not many have read the article.
I have re-posted the article below.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
PROTON: ONE MAN'S MEAT ANOTHER MAN'S POISON
Hantu Laut
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently directed Proton to start turning around its financial performance after having incurred losses of RM619 million. Would that be enough for the management in Proton to shape up? Can it survive without massive capital injection from the government or fresh equity participation from established foreign carmaker?
Proton, the brainchild of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed was launched in July 1985.It is now well over twenty years and it still has not been able to stand on its own. The problems are worsening due to stiff competition from other carmakers entering the market with cheaper and better quality models.
Most of Proton's troubles were of its own making. Unimaginative and apathetic management are the main cause of its troubles. New models put on the market were unattractive and of poor quality. Some models are just bad copies of older European models.Two new models put on the market recently was a marketing disaster , the Savvy which looked like an updated version of the Fiat 500 and the Gen 2, looking more like a squeezed down version of the old Alfa Romeo Alfasud.
The Wira, first introduced in 1993, the best selling model in the Proton stable, was an old Mitsubishi model and is still fitted with thirty-year old technology engine. This gas guzzling little monster consumed more fuel than the latest medium size Mercedes Benz.
To produce new models means costly retooling and Proton's many new models failed to excite car buyers. Negotiations with foreign carmaker, Volkswagen, to take up equity in the company collapsed due to the government demand for control of the company and control of the future direction of Proton.No one in their right mind, after having bought controlling interest in a company, would accede to such terms.
Was Proton not a viable project in the first place? Was Mahathir wrong in his vision of the industrialisation of Malaysia? Was it fair for the present administration to blame him for the troubles at Proton? Or was it just another exercise by the current administration to dismantle another one of his legacy?
Let us go to Japan and see how the car industries started, how it has produced many famous brands and how it gave birth to the biggest car manufacturer in the world.
Car manufacturers in Japan started maufacturing passenger cars in the 1920s/30s. The oldest manufacturers are Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu.In their formative years, most of them, have collobrated with British auto manufacturers which had, at that time, one of the best mass manufacturing technology.In 1922, Isuzu, teamed up with Wolseley Motor Company of UK and produced the Wolseley A9 locally. Nissan chose Austin of UK as its partner to gain access to automobile and engine design and initially assembled the Austin 7 model locally for sale in Japan. Mitsubishi, another big zaibatsu has courted alliances with many foreign partners.A significant stake in the auto division was sold to Chrysler in 1971.The latecomer to the industry was Toyota which only put its first passenger car on the market in 1936.It is now the biggest car manufacturer in the world in term of revenue.Together with its subsidiary, Daihatsu, it plans to produce 9.4 million units in 2007.
Almost all of the Japanese carmakers have produced special brand in the US for the US market. Toyota has Lexus, Honda called theirs Acura and Nissan called their's Infinite. In 2003, Toyota, launched another brand in the US which they called Scion, to try capture the generation Y market.The US is the biggest markets for automobiles which the Japanese have succesfully penetrated and make their brands household names.
The other commendable country is South Korea which is even more impressive.Its car industry only started in 1955, initially as assemblers.Today, it is the fifth largest manufacturer in the world in term of volume.
Toyota has overtaken GM as the world biggest supplier of automobiles..This can only come about due to intensive product research, forward looking development activities and good corporate culture. Most Japanese carmakers have had their ups and downs but somehow managed to pull through and survive.Many British carmakers, some of which were pioneers of the industry, have fallen on the wayside and the few that are still around have been taken over by foreign companies. Quality and reliability still plagued most British made cars. The Range Rover, a high end luxury model, was voted one of the ten worst luxury cars in the US in 2006.
The 2nd national car manufacturer, Perodua didn't have the same problem that Proton has.Perodua is basically a Japanese company and managed on the same corporate culture. Daihatsu and Mitsui together control more than 51% equity in the manufacturing arm, Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn.Bhd and its subsidiaries. Although much smaller than Proton, it has delivered some good models. The Myvi, a model launched in May 2006 was a hot seller and still is. Perodua cars are selling well and are eroding Proton's share of the market. It recently launched another new model called the Viva.
If Perodua can survive and continue to gain bigger share of the market why can't Proton?What caused Proton to slide downhill so fast? Who is to blame, Mahathir or the present administration?
To say Proton is not viable is a myopic view of those who are more concerned with placing blames rather than doing something constructive to save the ailing company.It's the easy way out.
Chrysler, a company near bankruptcy once, was a good example of the strong and unwavering conviction of one man that believed the company should be saved and saved hundreds of thousand of jobs. While the majority have condemned and destined the company to the graveyard, one man stood alone, convinced the United States Congress to give him loan guarantees to enable him to save the company. With objections, protests, actions to undermine his proposal coming from almost every sector of the business community, and ridiculed by the press, it wasn't an easy task for Lee Iacocca to convince Congress to accept his proposal which, fortunately for Chrysler, Congress finally did.
With new financing available he managed to turn the company around and paid up all loans seven years ahead of time. I would suggest top executives and directors of Proton to read his book - IACOCCA AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Is there someone in Proton who has the conviction and courage to do what Iacocca did? The weakness in the current administration and management of Proton are reflected in their action when they decided to sell off the investment in Mv Agusta for a song.This unconscionable decision cost Proton a loss of almost RM500 million.Proton's business advisor, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad said he has no prior knowledge and weren't consulted.He should have known better.They knew he would be an obstacle.Why appoint someone as your business advisor if you don't need inputs from him?
The buyer must have great confidence in MvAgusta to dare buy the share written off by Proton. The irony is, MvAgusta is still around, it hasn't been foreclosed or wound up as predicted by the Malay soothsayers in Proton and the government. They are still producing new high end motorbikes.
Those in Proton and government must put on their thinking caps to find the best solution to save the company from extinction.After so much time,money and effort spent to nuture Proton to what it is today, its demise, should not be an option.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently directed Proton to start turning around its financial performance after having incurred losses of RM619 million. Would that be enough for the management in Proton to shape up? Can it survive without massive capital injection from the government or fresh equity participation from established foreign carmaker?
Proton, the brainchild of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed was launched in July 1985.It is now well over twenty years and it still has not been able to stand on its own. The problems are worsening due to stiff competition from other carmakers entering the market with cheaper and better quality models.
Most of Proton's troubles were of its own making. Unimaginative and apathetic management are the main cause of its troubles. New models put on the market were unattractive and of poor quality. Some models are just bad copies of older European models.Two new models put on the market recently was a marketing disaster , the Savvy which looked like an updated version of the Fiat 500 and the Gen 2, looking more like a squeezed down version of the old Alfa Romeo Alfasud.
The Wira, first introduced in 1993, the best selling model in the Proton stable, was an old Mitsubishi model and is still fitted with thirty-year old technology engine. This gas guzzling little monster consumed more fuel than the latest medium size Mercedes Benz.
To produce new models means costly retooling and Proton's many new models failed to excite car buyers. Negotiations with foreign carmaker, Volkswagen, to take up equity in the company collapsed due to the government demand for control of the company and control of the future direction of Proton.No one in their right mind, after having bought controlling interest in a company, would accede to such terms.
Was Proton not a viable project in the first place? Was Mahathir wrong in his vision of the industrialisation of Malaysia? Was it fair for the present administration to blame him for the troubles at Proton? Or was it just another exercise by the current administration to dismantle another one of his legacy?
Let us go to Japan and see how the car industries started, how it has produced many famous brands and how it gave birth to the biggest car manufacturer in the world.
Car manufacturers in Japan started maufacturing passenger cars in the 1920s/30s. The oldest manufacturers are Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu.In their formative years, most of them, have collobrated with British auto manufacturers which had, at that time, one of the best mass manufacturing technology.In 1922, Isuzu, teamed up with Wolseley Motor Company of UK and produced the Wolseley A9 locally. Nissan chose Austin of UK as its partner to gain access to automobile and engine design and initially assembled the Austin 7 model locally for sale in Japan. Mitsubishi, another big zaibatsu has courted alliances with many foreign partners.A significant stake in the auto division was sold to Chrysler in 1971.The latecomer to the industry was Toyota which only put its first passenger car on the market in 1936.It is now the biggest car manufacturer in the world in term of revenue.Together with its subsidiary, Daihatsu, it plans to produce 9.4 million units in 2007.
Almost all of the Japanese carmakers have produced special brand in the US for the US market. Toyota has Lexus, Honda called theirs Acura and Nissan called their's Infinite. In 2003, Toyota, launched another brand in the US which they called Scion, to try capture the generation Y market.The US is the biggest markets for automobiles which the Japanese have succesfully penetrated and make their brands household names.
The other commendable country is South Korea which is even more impressive.Its car industry only started in 1955, initially as assemblers.Today, it is the fifth largest manufacturer in the world in term of volume.
Toyota has overtaken GM as the world biggest supplier of automobiles..This can only come about due to intensive product research, forward looking development activities and good corporate culture. Most Japanese carmakers have had their ups and downs but somehow managed to pull through and survive.Many British carmakers, some of which were pioneers of the industry, have fallen on the wayside and the few that are still around have been taken over by foreign companies. Quality and reliability still plagued most British made cars. The Range Rover, a high end luxury model, was voted one of the ten worst luxury cars in the US in 2006.
The 2nd national car manufacturer, Perodua didn't have the same problem that Proton has.Perodua is basically a Japanese company and managed on the same corporate culture. Daihatsu and Mitsui together control more than 51% equity in the manufacturing arm, Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn.Bhd and its subsidiaries. Although much smaller than Proton, it has delivered some good models. The Myvi, a model launched in May 2006 was a hot seller and still is. Perodua cars are selling well and are eroding Proton's share of the market. It recently launched another new model called the Viva.
If Perodua can survive and continue to gain bigger share of the market why can't Proton?What caused Proton to slide downhill so fast? Who is to blame, Mahathir or the present administration?
To say Proton is not viable is a myopic view of those who are more concerned with placing blames rather than doing something constructive to save the ailing company.It's the easy way out.
Chrysler, a company near bankruptcy once, was a good example of the strong and unwavering conviction of one man that believed the company should be saved and saved hundreds of thousand of jobs. While the majority have condemned and destined the company to the graveyard, one man stood alone, convinced the United States Congress to give him loan guarantees to enable him to save the company. With objections, protests, actions to undermine his proposal coming from almost every sector of the business community, and ridiculed by the press, it wasn't an easy task for Lee Iacocca to convince Congress to accept his proposal which, fortunately for Chrysler, Congress finally did.
With new financing available he managed to turn the company around and paid up all loans seven years ahead of time. I would suggest top executives and directors of Proton to read his book - IACOCCA AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Is there someone in Proton who has the conviction and courage to do what Iacocca did? The weakness in the current administration and management of Proton are reflected in their action when they decided to sell off the investment in Mv Agusta for a song.This unconscionable decision cost Proton a loss of almost RM500 million.Proton's business advisor, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad said he has no prior knowledge and weren't consulted.He should have known better.They knew he would be an obstacle.Why appoint someone as your business advisor if you don't need inputs from him?
The buyer must have great confidence in MvAgusta to dare buy the share written off by Proton. The irony is, MvAgusta is still around, it hasn't been foreclosed or wound up as predicted by the Malay soothsayers in Proton and the government. They are still producing new high end motorbikes.
Those in Proton and government must put on their thinking caps to find the best solution to save the company from extinction.After so much time,money and effort spent to nuture Proton to what it is today, its demise, should not be an option.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Barack Obama's Sabah Connection
Hantu Laut
Sabah is not short of surprises.The latest being its connection with Barack Obama, the potential future President of the United States.
His connection comes through marriage of his younger half-sister to a lad whose parents came from Sabah.
The story in the Star below:
PETALING JAYA: Dr Konrad Ng is amused that his Malaysian roots got noticed halfway round the world, thanks to his link to Democrat candidate Barack Obama. 
Not too long ago: Watching an Independence Day parade in the US four years ago were (from left) Michelle Obama, her daughter Sasha, Obama, Malia, Maya, Ng, and their daughter Suhalia. - AP 
The family tree: Dr Konrad Ng, Maya, Howard and Joan posing for a picture. Maya, who is Obama’s half sister, is married to Ng whose parents originally came from Sabah.
Source:Konrad's Blog
Sabah is not short of surprises.The latest being its connection with Barack Obama, the potential future President of the United States.
His connection comes through marriage of his younger half-sister to a lad whose parents came from Sabah.
The story in the Star below:
PETALING JAYA: Dr Konrad Ng is amused that his Malaysian roots got noticed halfway round the world, thanks to his link to Democrat candidate Barack Obama.
An assistant professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa (UHM), Ng, whose family originally comes from Sabah, is married to Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro.
Not too long ago: Watching an Independence Day parade in the US four years ago were (from left) Michelle Obama, her daughter Sasha, Obama, Malia, Maya, Ng, and their daughter Suhalia. - AP Maya and Obama have the same mother.
In an e-mail interview with The Star, Ng, 34, said that his father, Howard, was born in Sandakan and his mother, Joan, in Kudat.
“I have many relatives who live throughout Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and the two towns where my parents came from,” he said.
His parents subsequently settled in Canada and Ng was born there.
Maya was born to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman, and Ann Dunham, a white American cultural anthropologist, who is also Obama’s mother.
The family tree: Dr Konrad Ng, Maya, Howard and Joan posing for a picture. Maya, who is Obama’s half sister, is married to Ng whose parents originally came from Sabah. Ng said his parents return to Malaysia once every one to two years.
“It remains an important place of origin to them. In addition to a large, extended family, they have many good friends in Malaysia. I try to visit Malaysia every few years; it is a special country and feels familiar to me,” said Ng.
Maya, who was born in Jakarta, also cherishes her Indonesian roots.
According to Ng, she is active in the local Indonesian community and continues to speak Indonesian when she can. She visits Indonesia every few years.
Ng described Obama as exceptionally brilliant.
“He has a thorough understanding of the challenges we face and sound judgment on how we should address these challenges.
“Barack is a dedicated family man and cares deeply about transforming the world into a better place so that all families will have the same opportunities to do better.
“South-East Asia is a place of connection for him and a region that he understands well. It gave him numerous examples of alternative modes of communication and perspective.
“Maya, Barack and I have talked about the beauty of South-East Asia and our mutual desire to visit again,” he said.
Source:The Star
Below is Konrad Ng and his wife bio-data:
Born in Indonesia, Maya Soetoro-Ng is Barack’s younger sister. She has a Ph.D in Education and teaches social studies at La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls. Born in Canada, Konrad Ng is Maya’s husband and Barack’s brother-in-law. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science and is an assistant professor in the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai‘i.Source:Konrad's Blog
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