New Proton Gen2 sedan. More of the same.

Below are a couple sneak peeks at Proton's upcoming Gen2 sedan. I've commented quite a bit on the problem with Proton... one of which is their obsession with a single, narrow market segment.

And at a time when the market at Proton's price range is clamouring for space maximised mini-MPVs (Perodua Myvi) and flat floor, short bonnet large cabin sedans (Honda City and Toyota Vios), Proton still insists on launching one cramped sub-compact after another.

Besides the Perdana... aren't all of Proton's models more or less the same thing? And don't they cannibalise each other and raise Proton's costs unnecessarily due to all the different chassis, engines of different makes, body panels and components being used? To me, Proton has only a single product offering ie. a sub-compact, with sedan and hatch variants. The worse thing is that they've gone to great lengths to make life difficult for itself in terms of the huge, unrelated number of parts used - which imho was done solely to increase the number of parts they needed to stock and develop, thereby printing money for their politically connected suppliers.



Credit for Gen2 sedan photos: sizzlingnoodles




New Gen2 sedan, Waja, Wira and Iswara/Saga... it's the same 4 door sub-compact sedan with 1.3-1.8 liter engines. Best thing is, they are ALL being sold at the same time, to the same people. A better managed car company would have phased out the older models before introducing the newer ones, so that cannibalisation is minimised in order to maximise the volume of the higher margin new models.

Only Proton's elite marketing and strategy team has this absurd idea that there are standalone, independent market segments for each of their "models" ie. a Gen2 sedan market, a Waja market, a Wira market and an Iswara market... instead of an overall sub-compact market. That's what you get for hiring people solely because of their political connections or racial background.

If I were running Proton, I wouldn't even bother with the Gen2 sedan. Scrap it altogether. It's a waste of time because they already have another 3 other cars competing in the same segment, in the form of the Waja, Wira and Iswara. If they insist on launching it, then phase out the Waja, Wira and Iswara, put the fear of god into suppliers and production to improve the build quality of the new Gen2 sedan, and then direct all available resources into launching a mini-MPV.




And what can I say about the Gen2, Satria Neo and Savvy? Whether 2 or 4 doors, they're pretty much the same cramped hatch. I can't imagine why Proton needs so many hatches... In dire financial straits, Proton needs to gamble on a last ditch winning model that caters to the largest market segment in order to have any chance of surviving. But instead, it keeps churning new variants of the same tired old car that nobody wants... possibly just to fill the order books of suppliers and keep their workers employed.

Let me be the first to say, adios Proton. If the govt does not reinstate some form of protection or resume wasting taxpayer money propping it up, my bets are on its quick demise in the next few years or so.

Foreigners need Singapore, but Singapore needs them more.

This letter which appeared in the Today newspaper is typical of the attitude of Singaporean heartlanders* when it concerns professional immigrants (or "foreign talent" as the govt likes to call them).

* in Malaysia-speak - heartlander is similar to "kampung / Jinjang / ulu / ah beng-ah lian."

Heartlanders are pissed off about foreign talent because:

1. Foreign talents are taking jobs away from Singaporeans. They help themselves to the economic opportunities in Singapore, but...

2. ... they decline to become citizens, preferring instead to remain PRs (Permanent Residents) or WPs (Work Permits)....

3. ...because they don't want to shoulder an equal burden for the sustenance of Singapore in the form of national service.

Let me try to enlighten Singaporeans who are still oblivious to their 'situation'... or predicament as I'd call it.

Foreigners create jobs in Singapore. They take up jobs which wouldn't exist in the first place if they weren't there. Howzat, you ask?

Singapore has a shrinking local population. They don't breed enough to replace themselves. What follows is a dwindling population that gets older and older, and less and less productive. Without foreigners to supply the additional hands and wallets, many jobs wouldn't exist. Simply because there would be no critical mass in terms of talent (pool of people of sufficient nationalities, cultures and skills to employ from) and market (greater demand for goods and services) to create those jobs in the first place. Foreign talent is like foreign investment. They bring resources along with them to Singapore, and the economic multiplier works its magic. Without foreigners, Singaporeans are deluding themselves if they think that the big MNCs, international trade, tourists and high value industries would have been there anyway.

Singaporeans cannot keep fantasising that they have somehow singlehandedly produced this grand economic buffet, and foreigners are only now coming at the closing stages to tuck in to it. The Singapore economy is a product of both Singaporean and foreign hands and both parties partake equitably from it. Both reap only what they themselves have sown.

As for national service... think of it this way. Singaporeans spend a couple of years doing it. After which they think they are Jesus Christ, having "sacrificed and suffered" for all mankind. Wake up and smell the roses. Foreign talent uproot themselves from their homes, families and everything dear to them... for tens of years (if not permanently) to come to Singapore. And in the process, they expose themselves to the unestimable vagaries and hardships of migration and take up jobs that Singaporeans are unwilling to do, or are unable to do in sufficient numbers. That is the migrant's sacrifice for Singapore. If you ask me, doing a couple years of army training at a camp 30 minutes away from their HDB homes via MRT or feeder bus - pales in the harsh light of comparison. Some foreigners, like the Taiwanese and Koreans have put in their years of national service... albeit in a country other than Singapore. How does one reconcile that?

In addition, Singaporeans themselves migrate overseas in large numbers, and usually at the most productive stage of their lives (economically and biologically). This is an issue which heartlanders seem to ignore... choosing instead to harp on 'unreliable' PRs / WPs instead of questioning 'disloyal' citizens. Who do they think values Singapore more? PRs and WPs who are actually there on the island or citizens who are somewhere else? Who's paying Singapore taxes? Who's standing in front of their faces right now, pissing them off, stepping up to be counted where it matters?

Lastly, former Indonesian President Habibie once said that Singapore is a little red dot in a sea of green. Singapore depends on migrants from other countries to survive. That is a fact of life. In many ways, the dependency is largely reciprocal. Singapore needs foreign skills and labour to maintain it's affluence and way of life. Foreigners need Singapore to improve their standards of living.

But at the end of the day, though Singaporeans may only admit it within the deepest recesses of their minds, they know that the relationship is not equal. Without foreigners, Singapore disappears into oblivion. Without Singapore, foreigners simply go elsewhere. They will only keep coming to Singapore and keep its economic wheel turning, if Singapore manages to keep itself attractive to them. Like for foreign investment, one of the main attractions is the freedom to come and go.

Foreigners need Singapore, but Singapore needs them more. Stop bitching and live with it.

Road Rage caught on camera

I don't know what happens when people get behind the wheel or handlebars (as the case may be), but they sometimes get transformed into monsters. Over-reacting, and with violence, to any perceived provocation by other road users.

Is it the stress of modern life in general or the stress of the daily commute in particular or is it that these are simply dysfunctional people who think they can get away with violence because they happen to be already sitting in their getaway vehicle?

Road Rage caught on Camera (NST)

KUALA LUMPUR: A motorcyclist went on a rampage and smashed the window of a car which had earlier grazed his motorcycle along the Federal Highway in front of the Angkasapuri complex yesterday.

PTPTN study loan defaulters are on govt missions

I was reading an article in Sun2Surf about the low attendance of MPs and Ministers in Parliament sessions during the Ijok by-elections. In the article, some interesting references were made about an amendment to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) (Amendment) Bill 2007.

On Wednesday (April 25), shortly after the bill was opened for debate, most of those who rose to speak described as harsh a provision that would allow the corporation to enlist police and the immigration help to prevent loan defaulters from leaving the country.

Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) described the provision as draconian. Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) said that the corporation should require such a provision speaks volume for its lack of confidence in bringing loan defaulters to court.

Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) said: "Please withdraw the harsh provision as people will not vote BN if it is implemented."

Mahadzir Mohd Khir (BN-Sungai Petani) said it would be most embarrassing for [the] defaulter, probably due to no reason of his, to be prevented from boarding his plane at the airport as he was about to depart for some government mission.

There you have it! NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY (not the Opposition MPs, and certainly not the govt ones) seems to be acting in the best interests of the country.

Karpal Singh (DAP) is opposing the amendment for the sake of putting up an opposition.

Chong (DAP) opposes it only to highlight the fact that a government agency / ministry is incompetent.

Ghapur (UMNO) thinks it will make voters dislike him.

Mahadzir (UMNO) is afraid of embarrassing the defaulters!

Why aren't any of you concerned about NOT collecting the monies owed? Why aren't any of you concerned about making sure that these bastards do not continue cheating taxpayers?

Is it because many of these motherfuckers... opps, defaulters are working in the govt?

And before someone decides to sue me, I didn't say it... the extremely clever Mahadzir Mohd Khir (BN-Sungai Petani) did. In addition to saying that defaulters could be embarrassed, he added that the said embarassment was likely to come at a time when the defaulters were about to "depart for some government mission."

Will Thais adopt the Malaysian concept of 'National' religion?

Reading an article about Thai monks demonstrating in Bangkok to make Buddhism the national religion in Thailand's new constitution, this sentence caught my attention.

Some Thais are concerned any declaration would further alienate the country's Muslim minority in the South.

It'll be rather interesting if Buddhism is indeed legislated as the national religion. With Buddhists having an even bigger religious majority in Thailand compared to Muslims in Malaysia, we'll have to see if the Thais adopt the tactics of the Malaysian religious establishment like:

- demolishing and denying construction approvals for places of worship of the minority religions,
- stealing corpses of alleged converts to the national religion,
- abducting citizens allegedly of national religion & children of alleged national religion parents,
- insisting that citizens of minority religions be subjected to the laws and courts of the national religion, or
- making the national religion the basis of govt conduct and national culture.

If this comes to pass, we'll see how the religious terrorists in southern Thailand like them apples.

Bernama becomes spin doctoring BN bitch

This is an example of RUBBISH JOURNALISM at work.

What has Anwar got to do with Wolfowitz's current problems? What was the purpose of putting Anwar's name on the headline, if not hoping to tar him with a scandal totally unrelated to him?

If this is the type of garbage partisan journalism that Bernama represents, it seems like the appointment of Yong Soo Heong as Bernama Editor-in-Chief a few short weeks ago has done absolutely nothing but destroy the credibility of this news agency.

Is this the "quality, professional" mainstream journalism that bloggers are supposed to emulate?

Rubbish! Absolute farkin rubbish! I'm too disgusted for words.

Anwar's Ally Now Battling For Survival After Pay Scandal
April 26, 2007 16:32 PM
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/printable.php?id=258925

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- While Former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is battling it out to win some votes for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Saturday's Ijok by-election, his longtime ally Paul Wolfowitz is battling for survival as World Bank President.

There have been mounting calls for Wolfowitz's resignation after it was discovered that he had approved a promotion and hefty pay rise for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, an employee at the World Bank, before she was assigned to work at the U.S. State Department.

Scrapping 15 year old cars.

Last night's TV3's news program, Buletin Utama, ran an interesting sms poll. It asked - with regards to banning cars that are more than 15 years old - whether the ban will unduly benefit "certain parties" (pihak tertentu).

Firstly, what does an age-scrapping policy mean? It means that anyone who intends to use a car for anything more than a 15 year period, will now have to buy 2 cars, instead of one. For eg. where I can now derive the use of a car for 30 years from just buying 1 car - this policy will force me to buy 2 cars in order to derive the same 30 years of utilisation.

If all Malaysians kept their cars for 30 years, this policy will effectively double the current car market from 500,000 units a year to 1,000,000 units per year. But of course, there are many of us who change cars more frequently than once every 15 years and won't be affected by a scrapping policy. That's why a post-policy car market will lie somewhere in between the extremes of 500,000 and 1,000,000 units. What is certain though, is that the car market will grow tremendously.

And it really annoys me that the car (and car loan) industry would make such a bare-faced proposal in order to boost their sales... instead of looking at improving their own practices like pricing and service or increasing their productivity. You fuckers are businesses. Why don't you act like one? Nobody owes you a living. I don't see you giving your customers discounts when the times are good.

What irks me even more is that the govt is giving their proposal the time of day. Has the govt even thought of the impact of such an inane proposal on its citizens? Has the govt thought of how the additional costs will need to be defrayed or does it expect the public to shoulder the additional burden entirely? Does the govt realise that this is no more than an attempt to rob the public in order to keep these inefficient and unviable businesses in business? Does the govt see as I do, that this is a golden opportunity to weed out and terminate all those leeches and parasites in the car industry? Can anybody tell me how many directors and shareholders of these businesses affiliated to the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association - are also UMNO/BN office holders?

No decision yet on scrapping of 15-year-old cars
Pauline Puah
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=17737

KUALA LUMPUR (April 25, 2007): The government has not made a decision on a proposal to scrap cars that are more than 15 years old, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ng Lip Yong said.

"What was reported in newspapers was only a suggestion. A meeting held at the Transport Ministry on March 16 to discuss the proposal by the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association did not make any decision.

Doing what they know best... mengamuk.

Do these two UMNO "leaders" (and I use that word more loosely than the panties of Kazakhstan's #3 prostitute) look like victims or aggressors?

One likes to wave a keris around ostensibly to be bathed by Chinese blood... otherwise known as the 'Education' Minister. The other says it's not wrong to fight for one's race, even if it means insulting and threatening other races.

That's the future of UMNO for ya. Scary, isn't it?

Photos taken from Malaysia-today.net:

Civic Type R and Megane F1 R26 to be launched in Singapore

The south islanders have it good. The authorised dealers of Honda and Renault are bringing in some serious competition for the WRX and Golf GTi. The 200-250hp market sector is getting rather interesting. Below are print ads from yesterday's newspapers.

Phantom of the Opera @Spore Esplanade - An ergonomic nightmare

I had watched the Phantom of the Opera about 2 weeks ago. It's currently showing at the Singapore Esplanade. Well, I have never watched a play or an opera before. I never was a big fan of Western artistic culture. I like their pop culture a lot more.

So when my company was handing out free tickets, I put my hand up. I reckoned what the heck... how bad can it be? I've heard some of the songs on CD, and I genuinely enjoy a few of them. In any case, air conditioning... soft, comfy seats... if it stinks, what better place to take a nap?

I'm not the artsy fartsy, haute couture kinda guy. I'm all t-shirt, short pants and bad manners. So to me, when you've seen one gwailo "tuk-tuk chiang" (white man's Chinese opera), you've seen them all. Some of the more contemporary songs were really good though. The rest... well, suffice it to say I won't watch it if I had to pay for the ticket myself (like I said, this was a freebie).

My biggest complaint though was NOT the play itself, but the seating.

Good merciful god... the Circle 4 seats on level 4 (refer graphic) that I was in were BY FAR, WITHOUT DOUBT NOR RESERVATION, THE WORST SEATS I'VE EVER SAT IN, IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!! And this includes all manner of seating like benches at the park, stone slabs, planks on stacked bricks, airplane seats, bas kilang seats, toilet seats, foot stools and a folded newspaper on the floor.

The seats were padded, but there was NO ROOM. None for my well-endowed ass, gangly elbows and no head rest for my oversized head. The worst bit was that there was no leg room. NONE at all. The seat in front is about 2 feet lower and guess what, the back of the seat is right in front of your feet.

For 2 hours, I had to sit motionless, bolt upright while blood pooled in my trapped feet and the shrill voices of the singers drained what was left from my head. I can safely say the part of the play I enjoyed the most by far, was the 15 minute intermission. The sensation of pins and needles when circulation resumed to my lower extremities is my only lingering memory of that night.

My takeaway... Singapore Esplanade, never, ever again. Well, not in those seats anyway.