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I would like to refer to Tadin Sahak's call for Malaysians to be a " little more patriotic " with regard to the challenge of AirAsia to Malaysia Airlines.

It appears that almost every government enterprise (including all the quasi/pseudo government entities) in Malaysia relies on some form of protectionism in order to survive. Protectionism, if practiced within its tenets, in certain situations is warranted - for example, ramping up a fledgling industry when you are so severely disadvantaged especially if you are a new entrant.

Such was the intent when Proton was formed 34 years ago. A somewhat similar scenario was provided for MAS to unfurl its wings in 1973.

The conditions under which these special protections are granted generally well-spelled out: study and understand the operation, observe the market, examine the competition, incorporate "best practices" and, above all, deliver to customer expectations. Nothing wrong with this approach... if it was adhered to.

In addition, preconditions would also be attached to those concessions: become a "going-concern" within a reasonable time frame, have good metrics and have accountable management. Now, let's take a look at some outcomes, after 30-odd years:

Proton is building shoddy quality cars, is inefficient, has not learned much, does not deliver to customer expectations and does not have management accountability. Even worse, Proton fights to keep protectionist policies in place so that some well-placed individuals reap fortunes at the expense of the rakyat. Just as a benchmark, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Rover (other than Land Rover) went bankrupt in the United States 15 years ago ... and they build better cars than Proton!

Looking at MAS, a similar situation abounds: inefficient operation, gross mismanagement, fat payrolls, crony-impaired contract tender system, flawed accounting practices and no management accountability. I guess MAS feels that the fact that they are the national carrier means that the government owes them a living and the rakyat has to put up with it.

Yes, AirAsia is not perfect. I flew them recently on a trip in Malaysia. They deliver the basic goods with no frills. I fly Southwest airlines in the US a few times a year. They are the 'AirAsia' equivalent here - very basic but that's what the customer is willing to pay for ... and they are profitable!

In fact, if you substitute any governmental agency for MAS or Proton, you will find within, elements of these common denominators: inefficiency, nepotism and cronyism, lack of transparency, lethargy, absolute lack of accountability and dismal customer satisfaction.

The conclusion to be drawn, therefore, is that, protectionism (as practiced in Malaysia) serves to undermine the very basis for its existence - promotion of competitiveness to prosper in the marketplace, meeting customer expectations on all fronts and working towards world-class quality levels. After three decades of protectionism, what we have is an uncompetitive product shoddy service (served with its attendant arrogance to boot), complacency, abject apathy, a very annoyed rakyat and disenchantment all around.

Malaysians have been short-changed on the "satisfaction" component for so long that their senses have been numbed to the point of resignation to mediocrity as a way of Malaysian life.

Patronising something just because it is Malaysian (Proton, MAS, etc) would only be prolonging the rakyat's agony. These institutions have abused the goodwill (and billions of the rakyat's money) for too long to deserve any more sympathy. They should be summarily disbanded and a more efficient operation be allowed to replace them. As Disraeli once observed, "It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us."

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