Proton must ‘graduate’ from govt protection, says Mustapa

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said to-date, development at the border areas was quite slow even though they had the potential for cross-border trade with Asean.

PETALING JAYA: Proton needs to “graduate” from Government protection, says International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (pic).

In a statement on Friday, Mustapa said that the Government could not continuously protect heavy industries, including the automotive sector, noting that although other countries such as Japan and South Korea have protected their automotive industry, these measures were short- and medium-term in nature, and were eventually abolished.