The furore caused by the Approved Permits , the resulting success of Korean marques and the defensive as well as inconsiderate posturing of both the 'TMs' (Tun Mahathir and Tengku Mahaleel) has clearly brought into the limelight the misdeeds of Proton.

At the core of it all is the glaring ineptness of its management, a conclusion drawn from over two decades of misdirected strategic planning.

The fact is that the auto industry has taken on a global outlook as evidenced by the global forays of most auto manufacturers. Under such conditions, the idea that Proton has to reinforce its identity as a national car in order to receive its share of protection, albeit undeserving, is simply absurd and terribly archaic.

It is precisely this inward looking posture that remains the primary cause for its impending failure. Its only natural for any protected sector to take things for granted, specifically in the area that matters most to customers - Quality Assurance. The prime reason? Competition is almost non-existent and that results in abject insensitivity and corporate arrogance.

And how does that manifest? Customer complaints are sidelined , the product has quality issues from Day One, product efficiency plummets before its time due to the lower tolerance levels of its parts, after-sales service lines are long, parts become more expensive, and of course, the employees become terribly insular and totally customer insensitive.

Proton needs to buck-up and accept the need to compete. But by the time it gets into the competitive act, it will be too late due to lack of experience in competing. Yes, you need experience even to respond to competitive onslaughts. Nothing more needs be said.

The motives behind the protection for Proton are simply emotional. At the centre of it all is pride - both political and personal but at the cost of customer satisfaction. The sooner that attitude is jettisoned, the better it will be for Proton. In addition, it would be wise for Proton to take an international attitude and use that as a platform to get into high gear.

Meanwhile, my saga with my Wira continues. Lately, both windows on the left side refuse to come down. (But lucky me, I am happy that it was not the other way around.)

Noise from the engine has increased after a mere three years. The tachometer refuses to move at times. The temperature indicator starts off with a 'High' warning early in the morning and then settles to the right level after half hour. And I've given up on my petrol level indicator. I rest my case.