Let's Vote for laissez-faire

First, It was Samy Vellu ....





Now, the twin brother speak the same jargon ...

The Star reports:

Stung by criticisms over Proton’s competitiveness, its adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the national car industry might as well close shop. He was responding to readers’ comments in a newspaper that it was best to close down Proton, which received subsidies, to ease the burden on the people.

Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Shahrir Samad had voiced openly that Proton should not be required to meet the ruling on local content of up to 90% if it affected its competitiveness and increased prices. Shahrir had stated that Proton was responsible for the development of local vendors and if their products were still not up to standard and could not be exported, they should close down.

In response, this is what Mahathir replied:

“I think the Proton management should consider such a proposal. And if they think that one way of overcoming the many problems that we have today, including APs, is that we should not have a national car industry, (then) we close shop.”

He was speaking to newsmen after presenting Perdana Leadership Foundation grants to five local researchers.

Tun Dr Mahathir:

“It is my brainchild, but it does not mean the Government must uphold it.”

“What I think does not matter. What people think, matters."

“If the people are satisfied that APs should be given to one or two people who become millionaires overnight, fly around in helicopters and all that, then it’s okay. I have no objections.”

Malaysians should consider Mahathir's jested proposal. It is time that the nation understand the benefits of laissez-faire economy. This doctrine opposes governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights. It is a philosophy characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action.

The fact remains that in order to keep Proton alive, millions of Malaysians were made to pay via excessive high taxes in order to own a car. It is clear that if Malaysians are given a choice to buy cars of any make, most would have chosen Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota over Proton if the excessive high taxes and duties are lifted to allow fair and reasonable competition to exist.

Driving foreign made cars would not make any Malaysians less patriotic and the domestic economy will benefit as it will provide a far greater domestic consumption and purchasing power. It is no shame if we do not have a automobile manufacturing plant like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, etc. Proton can be an assembly plant and would have been more successful in the mould of Naza.

All Malaysians should ponder and voice their unrelented concern of the existing oppression of our purchasing power parity and stop the hemorrhage of the rakyat for the sake of saving one institution.