The Proton Vendors Association (PVA) is unaware that its members have been asked to choose between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“To the best of our knowledge, none of our members have been informed or are aware about this matter,” PVA president Azalan Omar told Malaysiakini .

As vendors to Proton and members of PVA, he said their sole purpose was “to supply parts and services of good quality and reasonable cost to Proton”.

“And in turn make sufficiently to support a vendor community that depends heavily on a thriving automotive industry,” he added.

Azalan was responding to a Singapore Straits Times report, which claimed Proton employees and vendors have been confronted with a choice with regard to the ongoing political feud.

The ailing national carmaker is the brainchild of Mahathir, who now serves as its chairperson.

The newspaper claimed that Proton’s hope for an urgent RM1.47 billion grant from the government could be derailed because of Mahathir’s attempt to oust the prime minister.

The report stated employees were concerned about becoming scapegoats in the clash between the two.

“They (employees) and vendors are being asked to choose between Mahathir and the (Najib) government," the daily quoted an unnamed senior Proton executive as saying.

Proton has 10,000 employees, while there are some 30,000 others with regard to parts suppliers and other related services.

The cutback in production is claimed to be hurting its parts suppliers, who are now being offered unsold cars as payment.