CABARAN INDUSTRI OTOMOTIF 2009

CABARAN INDUSTRI OTOMOTIF 2009

PEDA mengalu-alukan perlantikan Pengerusi baru Proton Dato Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh yang memang berasal dari industry otomotif. Dalam kegawatan ekonomi yang dijangka akan membawa impak yang lebih teruk pada tahun 2009, PEDA percaya pengalaman Dato Nadzmi di dalam bidang otomotif akan mempastikan langkah-langkah tertentu akan diambil untuk mengawal kemerosotan jualan.

PEDA juga mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada bekas Pengerusi Proton Dato Mohd Azlan Hashim. Dato Azlan amat peka dan pro-aktif kepada keperluan pengedar-pengedar Proton Edar bagi mempastikan jualan sasaran dapat dicapai.

1. Industry otomotif dijangka merosot pada tahun 2009 akibat dari kegawatan ekonomi. manufacturer, vendor, pembekal pembekal dan juga pengedar pengedar kereta akan mengalami kerugian atau kemungkinan ‘gulung tikar’ jika tiada tindakan diambil untuk membantu industri otomotif.

2. Impak gawat Industry otomotif dapat dikurangkan jika kemerosotan jumlah jualan kereta dapat di kawal. Dengan jumlah jualan kereta yang menggalakkan, vendor, pembekal dan pengedar kereta akan dapat mengurangkan kerugian.

JUALAN KERETA

3. Jualan Kereta dipengaruhi hampir sepenuhnya oleh institusi institusi bank. Baik vendor atau pembekal, pengedar-pengedar kereta ataupun pelanggan pelanggan yang berminat untuk membeli kereta, semuanya bergantung kepada kemudahan-kemudahan, pinjaman-pinjaman yang disediakan oleh bank.

4. Industri otomotif adalah unik kerana pasaran otomotif tidak memihak kepada pengedar atau pembeli (it is neither the sellers market nor it is a buyers market) tetapi dikuasai sepenuhnya oleh BANK melalui pembiayaan pinjaman kenderaan. Memang benar kualiti, teknologi enjin dan juga reke-bentuk kereta adalah penting untuk mempastikan kelarisan jualan tetapi kereta kereta yang mempunyai kualiti, rekabentuk dan teknologi yang terbaik sekalipun, jika pengedar kereta tidak dapat mengurus dan menjamin pinjaman untuk pelanggan membeli kereta, kereta yang terbaik sekalipun, tidak akan dapat dijual. Sokongan dari Bank merupakan faktor utama yang akan mempastikan kejatuhan atau pembangunan industry otomotif.

5. Lebih 90% operasi pengedar pengedar kereta bergantung kepada kemudahan yang disediakan oleh bank. Lebih 90% juga pembeli-pembeli kereta membeli dengan pinjaman bank. Pada tahun 1998, semasa kegawatan ekonomi, segala kemudahan kemudahan dan pinjaman dari Bank di bekukan.

6. Apa-apa perubahan negatif kepada ciri-ciri kemudahan-kemudahan bank dan pinjaman pembelian kereta (kepada pengedar, vendor atau pembeli) akan memberi kesan buruk kepada industry otomotif.

7. Sebelum kegawatan ekonomi tahun 1998, terdapat lebih banyak institusi institusi kewangan dan juga bank-bank di Malaysia. Institusi kewangan dan bank-bank ini yang sangat aktif berjumpa dengan pengedar pengedar kereta dan juga berjumpa dan menemuramah pembeli-pembeli kereta sebelum pinjaman sewa-beli pembeli diluluskan. Kesan positif dapat dirasai apabila pinjaman sewa beli pembeli kereta diluluskan hampir serta-merta atau dalam jangkamasa maksima 24 jam (SOP kelulusan- AM/PM; atau masuk pagi/lulus petang)

8. Bank-Bank di Malaysia telah di satukan (Merger) selepas kegawatan ekonomi 1998. Selepas penyatuan Bank (Bank Merger), institusi kewangan (finance companies) dilupuskan dan hanya tinggal beberapa bank besar sahaja. Pilihan dan pakej pinjaman pembeli kereta menjadi terhad dan Bank memilih pula jenis-jenis pelanggan yang dianggap menguntungkan. Pinjaman sewa beli pelanggan pula diluluskan oleh komputer yang diprogramkan mengikut ‘Profail Risiko Pelanggan’ & ‘Profail Risiko Kenderaan’. System komputer yang sepatutnya dapat meluluskan pinjaman dengan kadar lebih cepat, memakan masa lebih lama dan kadang-kadang hampir seminggu.

9. Profail Risiko kereta Proton yang diprogramkan oleh Bank adalah lebih tinggi berbandingkan dengan kereta buatan lain. Telah terdapat banyak kes-kes pinjaman sewa-beli pembeli kereta proton yang ditolak oleh bank tetapi pinjaman sewa-beli diluluskan pula untuk membeli kereta buatan lain (bagi pembeli yang sama).

10. Dengan kadar inflasi yang tinggi, profail risiko pelanggan dan profail risiko kereta diubah dan menjadi lebih payah untuk pelanggan mendapat pinjaman pembelian kereta. Saya dipahamkan oleh pengedar kereta di Singapura, disebabkan oleh kegawatan ekonomi, hanya 10% pinjaman sewa –beli kereta diluluskan. Bermakna, setiap 10 permohonan pinjaman sewa beli kereta, hanya satu pinjaman diluluskan. Pengedar pengedar kereta di Thailand juga melaporkan kesan yang sama.

11. Peratusan kelulusan permohonan pinjaman sewa-beli kereta di Malaysia berada pada tahap 40%. Tahun 2009 mungkin peratusan ini akan jatuh sama seperti di Singapura dan Thailand. Peratusan kelulusan 40% ini adalah mengikut pengalaman dan laporan yang diberi terus oleh pengedar pengedar kereta, statistik ini mungkin berbeza dari laporan rasmi yang dikeluarkan oleh bank, tetapi sebagai pengedar, kami merasai hakikat sebenar.

12. Faktor faktor lain yang seperti ‘disposable income’ yang juga akan merosot dengan kadar inflasi yang tinggi dan juga ketidak-ada jaminan pekerjaan dengan risiko ‘retrenchment’ juga akan mempengaruhi kelulusan pinjaman kereta. Kadar inflasi dan kenaikan harga barang akan menjejaskan kemampuan pembayaran pinjaman sewa-beli yang sedia ada dan menaikkan jumlah rekod ‘Non Performing Loan’ (NPL). Kemampuan untuk membeli kereta baru juga akan terjejas.

13. Memang kita tidak dapat elak masalah kegawatan ekonomi sedunia dan industri otomotif juga akan merosot tetapi kita akan dapat kurangkan impak tersebut dengan adanya campur-tangan dari kerajaan.

KELULUSAN PINJAMAN

14. Untuk mengawal jumlah jualan kereta dari merosot, kelulusan pinjaman yang lebih mudah untuk pinjaman kereta di perlukan (instead of a more stringent & careful approach). Terdapat berbagai-bagai faktor yang menentukan profail risiko pelanggan dan profail risiko kenderaan bergantung kepada rekod rekod lepas pelanggan dan juga rekod ‘Non Performing Loan’ (NPL) buatan-kenderaan. Profail profail risiko ini boleh diubah bagi memudahkan kelulusan pinjaman pelanggan.

PERATUSAN DAN JANGKA-MASA PINJAMAN

15. Sekarang, pinjaman maksima untuk pembelian kereta seperti yang ditetapkan oleh Bank Negara ialah 90% untuk jangkamasa 7 tahun. Jumlah jualan kereta dapat dipertingkatkan jika lebih ramai pelanggan mampu untuk membeli kenderaan. Tindakan drastik seperti menaikkan kadar pinjaman dari 90% kepada 100% dengan jangkamasa pinjaman 12 tahun akan membolehkan pelanggan membeli kereta dan mampu membayar pinjaman sewa-beli.

PENILAIAN RASMI HARGA KERETA TERPAKAI

16. Di Malaysia tidak ada badan terkecuali, NGO atau badan kerajaan yang diiktirafkan untuk menilai harga kereta terpakai. Harga kereta terpakai di Malaysia ditetapkan oleh bank secara tidak-langsung melalui peratusan pinjaman yang dibenarkan. Contohnya, jika bank hanya meluluskan pinjaman RM20,000 untuk kereta Proton Wira tahun 2000, harga proton Wira akan menjadi RM23,000.

17. Dengan tidak-adanya penilaian rasmi untuk kereta terpakai, pelanggan yang membeli kereta dengan tempoh pinjaman yang panjang, tidak akan dapat menjual kereta tersebut dan kereta yang di ditarik kerana bayaran tertunggak akan dilelong dengan harga yang lebih murah menyebabkan peminjam pinjaman sewa-beli di iktirafkan bankrap. Ini akan merosotkan lagi industry kereta apabila pelanggan tidak dapat menukar kereta yang sedia ada dan di senarai hitamkan apabila peminjam tidak dapat membayar baki pinjaman kerana kereta yang ditarik dilelong dengan harga yang lebih murah dari baki pinjaman.

PENGELUARAN EPF UNTUK MENGELAK TUNGGAKKAN PINJAMAN DAN PEMBELIAN KERETA

18. Kerajaan juga boleh menangani kemerosotan jualan kereta dengan membolehkan pelanggan untuk mengeluarkan wang EPF untuk membayar downpayment kereta atau untuk membayar penuh pinjaman kereta yang sedia ada bagi mengelak kereta ditarik atau mengelak pinjaman dari NPL.

PENDAPATAN PENGEDAR

HANDLING FEE
19. Kerajaan juga tidak boleh ketepikan pendapatan pengedar kereta yang semakin tipis akibat dari pendapatan ‘Handling Fee’ yang yang dihadkan oleh Bank Negara kepada pengedar pengedar kereta. Mengikut laporan Ernst & Young (independant studies on automotive financing benchmarking), tidak ada negara-negara maju dan negara-negara jiran yang meletakkan had siling bagi pembayaran ‘Handling Fee’ yang dibayar oleh Bank-bank kepada pengedar-pengedar kereta. Perbandingan dibuat diantara 5 negara; Singapura, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan dan Thailand.

20. Hasil dari laporan Ernst & Young, tanggung-jawab pengedar-pengedar kereta di Malaysia juga adalah lebih berbandingkan dengan 5 negara tersebut dan jumlah ‘Handling Fee’ ditetapkan oleh pasaran tanpa had (di 5 Negara tersebut)

INSURAN
21. Institusi bank di Malaysia juga telah mula mencebur secara langsung dalam jualan insuran kenderaan yang merangkumi lebih 20% dari pendapatan pengedar pengedar kereta. Bank-bank ini secara tidak langsung memaksa peminjam-peminjam untuk membeli terus insuran dari bank (bypassing the dealers and agents) dengan tidak membenarkan kad pendaftaran kereta mereka dibawa keluar oleh pengedar kereta (yang juga ajen insuran) bagi pembaharuan insuran dan cukai jalan.

DISKRIMINASI BANK
22. Institusi bank juga mendiskriminasikan pengedar pengedar kereta dengan mengkategorikan pengedar-pengedar yang mengambil (subscribed to) kemudahan bank dan pengedar-pengedar yang tiada kemudahan bank. Diskriminasi ini amat jelas dengan perbezaan caj caj dan penalti penalti yang dikenakan. Berbagai-bagai caj juga dikenakan kepada pengedar pengedar kereta yang mengambil kemudahan bank.

23. Institusi Bank juga mewujudkan rangkaian pengedarnya yang tersendiri dengan menyalurkan pelanggan-pelanggan sedia-ada bank hanya kepada ‘rangkaian-khas’ ini. Pelanggan-pelanggan Bank yang berminat untuk membeli kereta diberi keistimewaan yang berbeza berbandingkan pembelian kereta melalui pengedar-pengedar kereta lain (yang tidak tergolong dalam rangkaian-khas ini)

KAWALAN AKTIVITI BANK

24. Keadaan Pengedar kereta akan menjadi lebih teruk jika aktiviti institusi institusi bank yang membebankan pengedar-pengedar kereta tidak dikawal terutamanya pada tahun kegawatan ekonomi.

25. Bagi mengurangkan impak gawat keatas industri otomotif, kerajaan harus memantau secara terperinci aktiviti-aktiviti bank yang menguasai pasaran jualan otomotif supaya tidak membebankan pengedar, pembeli kereta dan mempertingkatkan peratusan kelulusan permohonan pinjaman sewa-beli kereta.

MATH & SCIENCE FRIED WITH ENGLISH BUTTER OR GRILL IN MALAY SAMBAL BELACAN?

MATH & SCIENCE FRIED WITH ENGLISH BUTTER OR GRILL IN MALAY SAMBAL BELACAN?

In almost every social function attended and even at home, although it has disappeared from the newspaper headlines but it is an issue that is still widely debated and discussed… should students learn mathematics and science in English? WHY?

Yes, because it is a subject that will affect our children and future generation and the insecurity of losing our mother tongue Bahasa Malaysia. Malaysians are very insecure indeed. Insecure about losing Bahasa Malaysia if we learn Mathematics and science in English, insecure about losing our ‘aqidah’ or (muslim belief) if muslims practice Yoga (even if the chanting was in Hindu that muslim dont understand?) and many other insecurities that is never exhaustive.

Personally, I don’t believe that Bahasa Malaysia will ever disappear even if the whole language in our education system is changed to English. I am privileged to have travelled to some developed countries worldwide and everywhere I went, the local Chinese still speak fluent Chinese although they have been a British or American citizen for the past many generations. Why are we so concern with learning mathematics and science in English when the Chinese-British or the Chinese-American, although they have studied everything from pre-school to university in English and yet, are fluent in their mother tounge chinese language (in their respective dialect).

Having gone through the Malaysia primary and secondary education until SRP (Sijil Rendah pelajaran or Lower Certificate of Education) and took the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) instead of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Malaysia Cetificate of Education (MCE), I had major language barrier with pursuing my study for the GCSE, GCE A’ level and during University. The Malay terms and jargons that I learn thus far until SRP/LCE were alien to my further education.

The importance of whichever language to study mathematics, science or any other subject for that matter is subjective but what is more important is the availability and the quality of our teachers. The change in language for students to learn in English is secondary compare to teacher’s ability to teach in English. Students adapt better to changes and learn faster than adult but the teacher to learn and teach in English…?

The Sekolah Kebangsaan QUALITY of teaching with the current generic and standard syllabus in Bahasa malaysia is already in quesrion. Most of the students now had to attend various additional tuition classes for most of the subjects taught at Sekolah Kebangsaan. The availability of teachers is another issue with an alarming teacher to student ratio.

Having gone through, partly, both the Malaysia and British education system, I am in favour of learning Mathematics and Science in English. However, a more urgent issue that needed to be address is the AVAILABILITY of teachers to reduce the teacher to student ratio @ sekolah kebangsaan and the teaching QUALITY of these teachers.

Rather than changing the language that will create and add more problems, we should at first tackle and address the present and current issues at large. Malaysia needed MORE teachers and more training to improve our teachers in Malaysia. Perhaps, the government should extend a better remuneration package or better perks to attract more interest to teach our future generations and future leaders.

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MUCH ADO ABOUT THE PAST

Much ado about the past..

I stood alone at the balcony, overlooking a hill view and a small village in Johor. It was on Christmas eves and everybody was busy with family gathering. This is a good quiet getaway from a hectic schedule, I thought to myself. I visited a few factories in Johor earlier and had retired for the day at the service apartment complimentary from Chong (not the real name). I parked myself comfortably at the balcony with my coffee and cigarette. Although tomorrow is a public holiday, I had to attend a Christmas function, having being invited as the guest of honor. I would usually avoid public gathering that requires me to travel but I made tomorrow an exception to be away from routine schedule in KL.

It has been awhile since I had time to ponder the past. In exactly a week, the year 2008 will be history and is the beginning of a new year 2009 and a new chapter… and of course, we will all be a year older.

The sky was dark and strong wind blew my cigarette ashes away signalling heavy rain is around the corner. I was lost in thought going down memory lane. So hectic was life, I never had the time to ponder my childhood. From birth, I was in 5 different places before teens. I was born in Negeri Sembilan, stopped breast-feeding in Petaling jaya, went to pre-school in Wisconsin, USA, and began primary school in SRK Sultan Ismail 1 primary school, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I moved to SRK Iskandar 1 primary school in Kedah and SRK kampong Tunku primary school in Selangor, on a 3 year frequency.

Being in 3 different primary schools in 3 different states, I had experienced drastic changed in cultures and environment and had lost many friends when my family moved from one state to the other as well as being separated post-primary. More than 20 years later, I found many of the long lost primary school friends through FACEBOOK!!! Though we have not met in person, but we kept each other updated through the FACEBOOK!!! 20 years seemed like yesterday with memories and moments of the past, flashing right back into current…………………………………………. We immediately felt so close akin of a friendship that was never separated.

I woke up from the past to the loud scream of thunder. I quickly went inside the studio service apartment when the rain became heavier and lay in bed comfortably. It wasn’t long before my thought went back to the childhood memories. i loved the the legendary tale of Hang Tuah, Mahsuri, Tok Janggut as well as Malaysia history during war. I idolised the loyalty Hang Tuah had for the King, his country and the Malay race and how Mahsuri was framed and killed. I felt the strength in Tok Janggut as a warrior. These legends spice-up the learning of history.

Last month, whilst attending a primary school function in Puchong, where I attended as a favour to a friend, the hang Tuah story came about and I was surprised (or sad rather) that none of the present students actually felt the sentiment I had when I first learn of these ‘hero’. Boys had more sentiments in Hollywood cartoon character superheroes rather than our legendary tale. Some of the boys actually asked me, ‘Hang Tuah’.. whats that? Though it may sound funny and we all laughed, but the truth, it is sad that the sentiment is no longer felt. Although the truth of the legend is unknown but we should always be reminded and not forgotten the principle sentiment behind each of the legend.

After the last meet with primary school students, I am confident and assured that the new generation and future generation will learn history ONLY as a subject without any sentiments attached unless, we continue to educate them by commercializing our histories in movies similar to Hollywood documenting their history (and misled many with their untrue heroic story) and gained international recognition.

Our Ministry of Information having the budget, jurisdiction and influence over RTM, other television stations and Malaysia-made movies should extend extra focus in re-living the past and produce a more patriotic films, dramas and series for the benefits of our new and future generation.

BIROKRASI PENTADBIRAN DI JABATAN KERAJAAN PUNCA KOS TINGGI PENYENGGARAAN PROTON PERDANA

PERSATUAN PENGEDAR PENGEDAR PROTON EDAR MALAYSIA

SIARAN AKHBAR

"BIROKRASI PENTADBIRAN DI JABATAN KERAJAAN PUNCA KOS TINGGI PENYENGGARAAN PROTON PERDANA "

 

Kuala Lumpur , "Kerajaan Pusat dan Negeri seharusnya menghapuskan birokrasi pentadbiran bagi  pendaftaran wakil Pusat Servis Kereta Proton Edar bagi mempertingkatkan day saingan", kata Armin Baniaz Pahamin, Timbalan President , Persatuan Pengedar Proton Edar Malaysia.

 

Sehingga hari ini,  cuma wakil pusat servis  Proton Edar yang  berdaftar dan  diluluskan oleh kerajaan   sahaja dibenarkan menjalankan  kerja-kerja penyenggaraan kereta Proton milik kerajaan pusat dan negeri. Ianya menyebabkan kerajaan Negeri dan Pusat tidak mempunyai banyak pilihan untuk  menghantar kenderaan kerajaan ke wakil-wakil pusat servis Proton Edar  yang lain  bagi  kerja penyenggaraan.  Langkah berkenaan mampu mengakibatkan harga kos penyenggaraan yang amat tinggi dan tidak terkawal dikenakan oleh pemilik wakil pusat servis Proton Edar yang berdaftar dan diluluskan kerajaan. Ini kerana hanya ada sedikit sahaja wakil pusat servis yand berdaftar dengan kerajaan berbandingkan dengan jumlah keseluruhan wakil-wakil pusat servis Proton Edar di Malaysia. Apabila tiada pilihan, akan lahirlah budaya sogokan atau kenaikan harga yang tidak terkawal.

 

Tanpa birokrasi pentadbiran pendaftaran bengkel di Jabatan Kerajaan,  kerajaan negeri dan pusat boleh mendapatkan kerja-kerja penyenggaraan dari lebih 300 bengkel Proton Edar dan Eon dengan  harga yang lebih berpatutan di seluruh Malaysia.

 

Proses perlantikan bengkel berdaftar Proton Edar adalah sangat ketat dan sentiasa dipantau bagi memastikan kualiti kerja dan pengendalian yang baik. Dengan itu,  bengkel berdaftar Proton Edar seharusnya di kecualikan dari segala pendaftaran di Jabatan Kerajaan bagi kerja-kerja penyenggaraan kereta Proton sama ada ianya masih  didalam waranti atau telah tamat tempoh waranti.  Saingan di antara 300 bengkel berdaftar Proton Edar  bagi kerja-kerja penyenggaraan kereta milik kerajaan  dapat bantu membanteras  harga kos yang amat  tinggi oleh pemilik bengkel yang tidak bertanggung jawab.

 

Kenyataan dari tiga kerajaan negeri , Terengganu, Perak dan Pulau Pinang, mendedahkan harga penyenggaraan yang tinggi, merosakan reputasi kereta Proton dan membebankan wakil jualan dan servis Proton sedangkan kita sebagai pengusaha pengusaha wakil Pusat servis Proton Edar memang yakin harga kos penyenggaraan bagi kereta Proton Perdana  adalah berpatutan dan tidak setinggi seperti yang dimaklumkan oleh kerajaan kerajaan Negeri.

Kebanyakkan kereta Proton yang berada di pasaran mempunyai lanjutan waranti melebihi 5 tahun.  Kos  bagi kerja penyenggaraan   biasa  kereta Proton adalah dari harga RM200 sehingga ke RM500 setahun tertakluk kepada penggunaan dan tingkah laku pemanduan kereta.

Lebih dari 60,000 unit Proton Perdana telah dijual sejak ianya berada di pasaran dan sehingga kini lebih kurang 10,000 unit Proton Perdana dijual setahun.  Kereta itu laris di pasaran kerana harga kereta dan kos penyenggaraan yang berpatutan.

Dengan adanya birokrasi pendaftaran di Jabatan Kerajaan bagi pemilik bengkel terutama wakil pusat servis Proton Edar membataskan  bengkel yang cekap dari menyenggara dan memberi sebut harga yang lebih rendah dan berpatutan untuk kenderaan kerajaan.  Pendaftaran wakil Pusat servis Proton Edar Yang memang dibawah naungan Kerajaan di Jabatan-jabatan Kerajaan adalah tidak berfaedah kepada mana-mana pihak dan hanya menggalakaan budaya sogokan, kata Armin.  Kita seharusnya bersama memikirkan langkah-langkah  membanteras masalah ini dengan menghapuskan pentadbiran birokrasi yang telah terbukti di 3 negeri kehadiran budaya sogokan dan tidak kompeten.

 

“GOVERNMENT RED-TAPES ARE THE CAUSE OF PROTON PERDANA HIGH COST OF MAINTENANCE”

 

PROTON EDAR DEALERS ASSOCIATION MALAYSIA

Press Release

 

“GOVERNMENT RED-TAPES ARE THE CAUSE OF PROTON PERDANA HIGH COST OF MAINTENANCE”

 

KUALA LUMPUR. “State and federal government should eradicate the red-tape for the registration of Proton Edar authorized workshop to ensure competitiveness” Said Armin Baniaz Pahamin, Deputy President, Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia.

 

Currently, only the government-registered Proton Edar authorized workshops are allowed to service and maintain state and federal government vehicles which limits the option for the state and federal government to send their vehicles for servicing. This practice will also lead to corruption and exorbitant cost of maintenance charged by the registered workshop since there are less workshop as an alternative option.

 

Without the red-tapes of state and federal government registered workshop, the State or Federal government can obtained the best and most competitive quote from more than 300 authorised Proton Edar and Eon service dealers network in Malaysia.

 

The appointments of Proton Edar authorized workshop are very stringent and are regularly assessed for competencies and quality control. As such, Proton Edar authorized workshop should be exempted from any registration to service Proton vehicles under warranty or after warranty for the Government. The competition between the 300 authorised dealers to service government vehicles will eradicate any unscrupulous and unnecessary high cost charges.

 

“It is very damaging for Proton dealers when three state governments, Terengganu, Perak and Penang, exposed a high cost of maintenance for Proton Perdana, especially when we, the authorized Proton workshop operator know for a fact that the cost of maintenance for Proton Perdana is not as exorbitant”.

 

Most of the Proton cars sold now are with a total of 5 years extended warranty. The cost of regular maintenance for proton cars ranges between RM200 to a maximum of RM500 per scheduled service depending on which models.

 

A new Proton Perdana bought in 2004 was manufacturer’s warranted for 2 years. A new Proton Perdana that is purchased now is with an option for extended warranty for a total of 5 years. With a 5 years extended warranty, Proton Perdana annual maintenance cost is less than RM500 per annum depending on the usage and driving behavior.

 

More than 60,000 Proton Perdana has been sold since it was launched and is still selling an approximate 10,000 units of Perdana per annum. The car is saleable because of the competitive pricing as well as the reasonable cost of maintenance.

 

Having workshop to be registered with the Government, especially Proton Edar authorized workshop will limit the available competent workshop to quote and service government cars for a cheaper price. Unnecessary registration and red-tapes will also open the floodgate for corruption, added Armin. We should eradicate the source of the problem rather than pin-pointing an already proven corrupted and incompetent system.

BLACKBERRY THAT IS NOT SO BOLD

BLACKBERRY THAT IS NOT SO BOLD

 

Syamreen Shafei, a classmate since the Bukit Bintang Boy Secondary School days, bought me my first handphone to mark our partnership in a venture dated back in 1995. That was my first handphone, a Motorola. It was the most fashionable phone and the only flip phone then. Having lost my ‘mobile-phone-ownership-virgin’ to Motorola, I stood strong with Motorola against my girlfriend in 1996 who was a hardcore Nokia loyalist. My loyalty towards Motorola was neutralised by her but being hard-headed and abit chauvinist, I refused to use a Nokia (and pleased her) but changed my phone to an Ericson instead. Unfortunately, the Ericson phone didn’t performed well and I became a Nokia customer in 1997… so happy was her. Now, I refuse to use any other phone but Nokia, akin of me refusing any other girl but her.

I had a good relationship without polygamy with Nokia for 11 years until I was introduced to a Blackberry. I was fascinated and was first introduced to the Blackberry while performing my haj in 2006/7. Most of those in my group was in constant communication (with home, friends and office) and closely-informed of Malaysia news via the Blackberry. I bought my first Blackberry 3G phone immediately when I came back from haj. It was the 8707g model and I used it as my main phone and the Nokia as a second phone (I have a few phone numbers). I was contented with the 8707g Blackberry until the roller-ball located on the right side of the phone malfunction. Maxis said it will take between one to three months to have it repaired. I was flabbergasted and disappointed with the long duration of repair especially when the phone is barely 6 months old, you will never get this service with Nokia. After the 8707g was repaired, I never used the phone again and gave it away and made my Nokia Communicator E90 again as my principal phone. I should have just being content with Nokia.

Maxis recently launched the latest Blackberry Bold, said to be the best of Blackberry 3G phones to rival against the apple iphone but with a keypad and Nokia practicality. Wanting a change away from Nokia (11 years!!!) and without a haste, I gave Blackberry a second chance… so forgiving was I. I booked the Bold a month in advance and proudly took delivery on the first day it was officially launched. Yes, I was impressed with the sexy black outlook and silver frame lining. The tits used to move the cursor was smooth and is much better compared to the roller ball in the 8707g. I experiment the phone applications and was pleased with the phone.

My first impression on handphone is not as accurate as my first impression on people. After using it for a month, I have to conclude that the phone is not as good as what it seems and I should have just stick to Nokia. I was not the only one being misled by the Blackberry Bold but everybody who have heard of the phone. Most of my friends and even strangers who saw me using the Blackberry Bold will ask me if the phone is as good as it look. So I will have to repeat my predicament and dissatisfaction with the blackberry bold to everybody everytime I was asked.

The Blackberry Bold phone usage and standby time is only 1/3 of Nokia. the Blackberry can only last till noon before the battery wears off. The item details in each contact are fixed. Amongst others, there is only one mobile number to store for each contact and only one email per each contact too. Unfortunately most of my friends are with at least 2 handphones and some with as many as 4 which i had to create a separate contact to store their mobile number.  When the phone is locked, the callers’ name does not appear when the phone rang making it impossible to recognize who is calling. The most unacceptable behaviour of the Blackberry Bold, is the breaking down of long sms into many smses jamming the inbox. The Blackberry Bold often hang too and had to be rebooted everytime, almost a few times aday. The bulk sms-sent (sms send to more than a dozen contacts) will always fail and had to be re-sent almost everytime too. The bulk-send smses will takes triple the time taken if the bulk smses were sent with a nokia phone.

The only KEY BENEFIT of Blackberry is the realtime push email, the only reason I am still using the Blackberry as my main phone. The realtime push email service enable user to receive emails similar to an sms. Once NOKIA improves their push email function from 15 minutes push-delay to realtime.. anytime, I will just be with Nokia all the way.