Sunday, December 07, 2008

Petronas should do a Honda


update 10/12/2008: "Petronas and Formula One" - the view of a motorsport fan and professional motoring writer, here.


Ditch the Formula 1. I'm not an F1 fan so Honda's decision to withdraw from the costly affair (Citing economic crisis, Honda withdraws from F1 - USA Today) doesn't make a difference to me. But it should make hell of a difference to Hassan Merican, the Petronas boss. If Honda thinks the economic slowdown is bad enough for it to pull out from F1, why should our national oil corporation continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on it?

It won't be such a great thing to win the races without the Honda team, anyway.

So, Petronas, do the right thing.

Read also Bernie Eccelestone's interview here. Honda Racing F1 team reacts to withdrawal news, here.

89 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:39 pm

    Sometimes, people like you who have no idea on how to run a Corporate Business should also stop pretending like you do..

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  2. Anonymous11:39 pm

    Save the advertising cost and spent it elsewhere.

    Improve the public transport!!!

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  3. Anonymous11:42 pm

    Bro Rocky,
    I couldn't agree more. It's about time we ditch it. It's a shame to call it sports anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:43 pm

    Sorry,
    Forgot to name myself just now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have always thought that the advertising revenue could have been spent elsewhere; for a fraction of that amount, Petronas could have gotten much better coverage.

    EPL teams would probably be on the list for a fraction of that much money; I would also like to see Petronas funds used for public transport.

    That would be right up their alley, as it would reduce local fuel consumption, improve the environment and result in a better bottom line!

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  6. I think PETRONAS should buy honda team.

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  7. Anonymous1:11 am

    nanti your Mokhzani frust pulak, his personal F1 playground will be empty save for his Porsche Cayman. How?

    AnonyMuse

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  8. Sorry AnonyMuse,

    I didn't even know what car he drives. Since you seem to know Mokhzani quite intimately, do send my regards and tell him why we need to do a Honda.

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  9. Anonymous2:32 am

    This F1 thing is just to inflate Dr. Mahathir's personal ego. Malaysia don't need the Sepang Circuit and the F1 races in the first place. Dr. Mahathir is Petronas adviser and treating Petronas as his piggy bank. His F1 toy is passed down to Sonny ...
    Wali Kota

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  10. "If our head is not that big, why should we wear such a big-sized hat"
    We always spend money on the wrong priority, also others use RM1, we need RM10 to do a similar thing.
    By: Big Canon

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  11. Think big and think outside the box
    the exposure not only to Petronas but to Malaysia is fantastic that why LKY Singapore emulate us. Petronas should buy Honda at the bargain price .

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  12. Anonymous9:05 am

    People only remember the big names like Hamilton, Alonso. Who drives for Petronas's team? I have no clue.

    Also, Petronas does not need the advertising in F1. Is fame more important than Malaysians' welfare?

    Now the mgnt of Honda came to their senses. Will Hassan Merican come to his senses?

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  13. When Singapore starts the F1 races...Malaysian FI is gone case.

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  14. Anonymous9:13 am

    rocky, u have no idea on how much petronas's investment on F1 has contributes to our country's economy and popularity. i disagree.

    http://writtenbyhim.wordpress.com/

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  15. Personally I think Hassan Merican has a bettet judgement on this matter than most of us. Let Petronas decide whats best. What matter most to me is to see Petronas continuously making more money for our next generation to benefit out of it. However don't forget the wish of the present rakyat.If buying Honda may benefit Petronas, why not.

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  16. Petronas should do a Honda
    Get out of the F1 race
    Plough the money back to the people
    This expensive sport
    We should forget about it

    The returns on tourism
    Hike up prices milking the tourists
    Benefitting a few businessmen
    And their business partners

    On the economy downturn
    The government should set its priority right
    Petronas should opt out in F1
    Use the money to improve public transport

    When our public transport system improves
    When we have confident with our transport players
    Then we can think about F1………………
    Right now it shouldn’t be in the sport

    p/s wishing you selamat hari raya haji saudara Rocky dan keluarga

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:41 am

    Rocky. Talking about hundreds of millions, did you read the New York Times article re our billionaire who is actually a billionhair.

    Here goes:

    Bill Clinton Speech in Malaysia Irks Investors

    By DON VAN NATTA Jr.
    Published: December 5, 2008

    Former President Bill Clinton visited Malaysia on Friday to deliver his first paid speech since his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, was selected Monday by President-elect Barack Obama to be secretary of state.

    Mr. Clinton spoke before nearly 3,000 people in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of Vinod Sekhar, a Malaysian businessman whose foundation paid Mr. Clinton $200,000, according to several people with knowledge of the fee. The figure is on the lower end of the scale that Mr. Clinton usually commands for his speeches.
    “You should be proud of this man,” Mr. Clinton told the audience, pointing at Mr. Sekhar, the 40-year-old chief executive of the Petra Group, a privately held rubber technology company.
    But several angry investors in Britain and Malaysia say they disagree with the former president’s glowing assessment of Mr. Sekhar, whose company has suffered a rough few weeks.
    “I believe he is using Bill Clinton — this is what he does,” said Abdul Azim Zabidi, a former board member of the Petra Group who claims Mr. Sekhar broke numerous promises to him and still owes him $100,000. “He just wants to get new investors.”
    Another investor, the actor Bruce Willis, recently settled a lawsuit with Petra over the return of $900,000. The company called it a “misunderstanding.”
    And this week, after a 10-year partnership, a member of the Malaysian royal family quit as Petra’s chairman, saying he was tired of the many “surprises” during his affiliation with the company.
    “Enough is enough,” the former chairman said.
    Mr. Sekhar declined to comment. A spokesman for the Petra Group, Andrew Murray-Watson, said that Mr. Zabidi’s assertion that he was still owed money was “utter rubbish,” and that the Clinton event was held as a memorial for Mr. Sekhar’s late father, a scientist who invented an environmentally sound way to recycle tires.
    “The idea that Vinod organized this event purely for public relations purposes is frankly ludicrous, and insulting to the memory of his father,” Mr. Murray-Watson said.
    Officials with the Obama transition team said they did not vet Mr. Sekhar’s background before Mr. Clinton’s speech. The speech was one of the last Mr. Clinton will deliver without being reviewed by a State Department ethics panel, a requirement he has agreed to follow if Mrs. Clinton is confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state. Mr. Clinton also agreed to have his fees from business dealings and foreign speeches reviewed by the White House Counsel’s Office, if necessary.
    When Mrs. Clinton emerged as the leading contender for secretary of state, questions were raised about whether she could work as the nation’s chief diplomat while Mr. Clinton continued to pursue his global business dealings and foreign speechmaking. In a bid to erase worries about conflicts of interest, the former president agreed to every request made by the Obama transition team.
    “If she is going to be secretary of state, and I operate globally and I have people who contribute to these efforts globally,” Mr. Clinton told CNN this week, “I think that it’s important to make it totally transparent.”
    Since leaving the White House, Mr. Clinton has traveled the world fighting AIDS, malaria and other maladies. Since its formation in 1997, the Clinton Foundation has raised more than $500 million to build a presidential library and finance charitable programs.
    This week, he hosted the Clinton Global Initiative Asia meeting in Hong Kong. It will be the last such meeting for some time; under the terms of his agreement with the Obama transition team, Mr. Clinton agreed to no longer host those meetings overseas.
    His decision to accept the invitation of Mr. Sekhar, who has made contributions to the Clinton Global Initiative, surprised several Petra Group investors, who say Mr. Sekhar was using his association with Mr. Clinton to attract new investment. It was Mr. Clinton’s first visit to Malaysia.
    Barrie Clapham, a British investor who says he put £300,000 into Mr. Sekhar’s company in 2003 and lent him an additional £170,000, now says he blames himself for failing to recognize that Mr. Sekhar is “a man of straw.”
    “He’s very flamboyant,” Mr. Clapham said. “People think this guy is a real mover and shaker, and he keeps lending credibility to himself through association with the right people.”
    Despite what Mr. Clapham called Mr. Sekhar’s veneer of wealth, he said, “I learned later that the house he lived in was rented.”
    “Everything was rented,” Mr. Clapham added.
    He says he has been asking Mr. Sekhar for the return of his money since 2003, but has received only £30,000 of the £470,000 he says he is owed. “He told me he was a man of honor, and he would honor it,” Mr. Clapham said. “I have been pressing him ever since.”
    Mr. Murray-Watson said that Mr. Clapham had agreed to invest a large sum in the company, but that “as far as the company is concerned, he did not fulfill that obligation.”
    “He remains a shareholder,” Mr. Murray-Watson said, “and negotiations are ongoing that the company expects will lead to a satisfactory outcome for all parties.”
    This week, Mr. Sekhar’s partner, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, the prince from the Negri Sembilan royal household, announced he was ending his decade-long affiliation with Mr. Sekhar by resigning as chairman of the Petra Group and a director of its affiliated companies.
    “I have received many surprises during my tenure with the group,” he said in a statement, citing the lawsuit involving Mr. Willis as “just one, and unfortunately the most high profile.”
    He said the lawsuit caused “embarrassment to my family, particularly to my royal parents.”
    Although Mr. Murray-Watson acknowledged that the company had had a difficult few weeks, he said its future was bright.
    “Petra Group companies are trading well in a difficult economic environment,” he said, pointing to “a recently signed, groundbreaking deal with Timberland” to make shoe soles out of recycled materials manufactured by the company.
    The Petra Group, he said, “is set for record global growth over the next 12 months.”
    Mr. Clinton promoted the Petra Group’s new deal on Friday, telling the audience, “One of the biggest rubber shoes and boots manufacturers, Timberland, is replacing the soles of its shoes it makes with this man’s green rubber technology.”
    Mr. Clinton often praises companies that pay him to speak. In 2001, he received $125,000 from an Illinois management consulting company called International Profit Associates. It was later revealed that the Illinois attorney general was investigating accusations of deceptive marketing tactics by the company.
    After a start-up Web search site named Accoona donated $700,000 worth of stock to his foundation, Mr. Clinton praised the company at a corporate event in December 2004.
    “I hope you all get rich,” he told Accoona executives, “but, remember, you are doing something good for humanity as well.”

    ANTI CON-MAN

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  18. Anonymous10:54 am

    As far as I know, the truth is I don't know about this F1. So just call it quit..oops sorry do a Honda.dh9753

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  19. Anonymous12:41 pm

    I would rather the money be spent on formula 1 rather than the money be given to goverment.

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  20. Anonymous12:47 pm

    Charming proposition but highly unlikely due to the gala-ness attached to its current participation at the F1 event.
    Infact a friend said
    time agonised over this is possibly well spent to volunteer at land slides areas not to mention many more still to come over the weeks and months, yeah years to come inMalaysia.
    Humptydumpty

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  21. Anonymous2:08 pm

    Hahahaha... hope you don't mind me taking a poke at you rocky.. With a small business mind like yours no wonder you can't make it higher in the NST. We must think out of the box. Petronas is tied up with BMW which is not a kacang putih marque.

    Ron

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  22. Anonymous2:10 pm

    I quote form Amal,

    Sometimes, people like you who have no idea on how to run a Corporate Business should also stop pretending like you do..

    Namewee.

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  23. Aint no F1 fan either ..... i see it as nothing more than a monumental waste of Good Money better used elsewhere and not to mention noise and air pollution and a waste of a good Sunday ...except for the Grid Girls, Pit Babes, Paddock Chicks, Race Queens, Track Girls, Brolly Dollies.The Malaysia Boleh in us will tell Hassan Merican otherwise!

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  24. im against petronas pulling out. we need the research, be it fuel or engines. on the other hand, honda gains nothing from it, their bike racing is more accomplished and being a principal sponsor/car maker, it damages reputation from not winning. its good exposure for petronas in the racing world as well.

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  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. Anonymous5:30 pm

    PETRONAS is not government. Full stop. PETRONAS is a business entity which runs specifically to double & triple its profitability year after year and PETRONAS has done a bloody good job at it. Stop policitizing it already!

    As far as I am concerned, billions and more billions of money have been contributed to the nation (need me to remind the extra 6 billion this year?). PETRONAS has been doing more than its part already.

    So, please.. For those who have no idea how Oil & Gas Industry works and how to manage a company worth billions like PETRONAS.. stop instructing and whine about what PETRONAS should or should not do and stop pretending like you know how to. They bloody know what they are doing and that's why they have been double-triple-ing their profits year after year to FUND this country, unlike most of you who whine just as much yet contribute none to the nation.

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  27. Anonymous5:51 pm

    Honda actually has won tonnes of awards in F1 already in the 80's. There is nothing to prove now. F1 is a money pit with no future unless the reigns be put on it in terms of funding and technology limits. How long is a piece of string? Instead, theses ernormous sums can be channeled into new alternative powertrains, more efficient engines and hybrid technologies to benefit the consumers in dwindling fossil fuel times.

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  28. Anonymous6:04 pm

    Experts say when others are selling, BUY, and vice-versa. ValueCap doing same thing. So if Honda withdraws from F1, Petronas should invest MORE. Otherwise how to justify our Sepang F1 race track? Malaysia Boleh!

    TNS not NIAMAH!

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  29. Anonymous6:09 pm

    Dear Rocky

    You have given your main reason for your statement ---ie--you're NOT a fan ! Therefore --to hell with it.

    Do meet the locals who were and some who still are involved with the technology involved.

    If you have praised Merican skyhigh for his wisdom and vision--then I am sure if he begun to feel what YOU feel--he WILL withdraw from this activity. I'm sure he has his reasons.

    your reasons , to me , is just too over simplified for whatever reason.

    (By the way--Honda had been considering to withdraw 2 years ago , when thry found that they couldn't bring back their glory day when they king of the F1 series. Toyota Japan also gave a warning to the Toyota F1 team to buck up and perform -- or be scratched. So its more than just economics as the reason for withdrawal --- reputation has got to be a factor to be considered too.)


    manamanu

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  30. Anonymous6:22 pm

    Petronas should quit the Formula 1 business and get into the Formula Milk business. More profitable and much, much cheaper.

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  31. Petronas and Hassan Merican have done a great job thus far. Who is Rockybro to tell them how to run their bis. Petronas in F1 has got itself branding and recognition that is intangible.I'm so proud to see Petronas stations in Thailand and ads in China. People recognise the brand.

    I agree with Zia's comments.

    Honda has pulled out before and return to F1 fyi. This time it has got to do more than economics for a premier motor company who is struggling. also the team has made bad mistakes in controlling their cost etc.

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  32. Anonymous7:44 pm

    Rocky,

    Last month, I was given an appointment for an MRI scan at the KL hospital only in April. Which means seven months. RIDICULOUS man.

    There are not enough dialysis machines in government hospitals. Appointments at IJN takes months.

    If only we were not corportarised the way Mahathir did to the country and focussed on buyinng these all important health equipments, we would have a shorter waiting period for tese appointments.

    Petronas, oil is a gift from GOD. Pass it down to the people and not that stupid drivers who are raking in our millions.

    God save Malaysians.

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  33. Anonymous8:11 pm

    1 reason why we should not give up f1. and that is ' singapore has it.' to me, what singapore has and does is well thought out. unlike some of the things we do. so for f1, keep it here since we have got it.

    emulate singapore.

    Wakening

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  34. This is amusing.

    An argument with different perspectives.

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  35. Anonymous8:22 pm

    To Amal, 5.30 pm.

    Well said ! Couldn't put it any better myself !



    manamanu

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  36. Anonymous10:04 pm

    It is this kind of writing that (without the author knowing the full facts) that instigated the public to beat up employees of the oil company, that got cars with the oil company sticker vandalised, that got employees of the oil company pushed out of LRTs.

    Sometimes writers do not realise the implication brought about and suffered by innocent employees just because of the rising price of oil and provocative writings of others.

    All this because of ignorance and simplistic reasoning and deductions.

    mnmn

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  37. When I was with PETRONAS (all capitals, folks), I asked this question vis-a-vis F1:

    Why are we concentrating on non-core activities?

    I can't remember the answer, but my bet was it was answering the national call of duty, an oft-repeated mantra.

    Be that as it may, I think it is not unwise for PETRONAS to spend on advertising in F1. Shell does the same thing, and so is Total, and a myriad of other oil and energy companies.

    It is just the "how" that I would like to debate on. The why is understood. This is business and you do need to advertise.

    On another note, PETRONAS still have that one engine that was developed and was launched by Tan Sri Hassan. Many thought Proton would use that engine, but Proton did not.

    It is best that PETRONAS concentrates on its core business, and still advertise in F1, but not to the point of active management and participation like Honda, etc.

    My two-sen worth.

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  38. Anonymous10:12 pm

    Rocky,
    dont you realise how much exposure/benefit Petronas is getting from F1. If I am not mistaken, this is second most view sport event after world cup (i might be wrong but F1 is definitely among the top). Petronas is enjoying the prestige of collaborating with BMW and at the same time, expose their engineers to top level engineering. How are you going to compete globally if nobody in the bussiness know you? FYI, I had come across Petronas engine oil used in China...and those that use it know petronas from F1.Technology and RnD should never be ignored if you want to survive in future.
    God bless all of us.
    Rozi66

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  39. Anonymous10:12 pm

    Rocky,
    dont you realise how much exposure/benefit Petronas is getting from F1. If I am not mistaken, this is second most view sport event after world cup (i might be wrong but F1 is definitely among the top). Petronas is enjoying the prestige of collaborating with BMW and at the same time, expose their engineers to top level engineering. How are you going to compete globally if nobody in the bussiness know you? FYI, I had come across Petronas engine oil used in China...and those that use it know petronas from F1.Technology and RnD should never be ignored if you want to survive in future.
    God bless all of us.
    Rozi66

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  40. Anonymous10:45 pm

    My opinion why Petronas should drop F1 sponsorship
    - Ptronas is not main sponser..just premium partner unlike with sauber- logo kat ceruk2 mana ntah
    - i dont see any socio-economic impact study performed to show true benefit for F1 sponsorship for petronas - for Sepang ada ive seen, some Universiti Malaya study
    - petronas' initial foray into F1 dulu was bundled together during the Petronas ownership of Proton Shares- kononya nak buat vehicle hub - this led to the sending of numerous petronas engineers to Yamaha Engineering, purchase of wind tunnel in switzerland, purchase of sauber (yet didnt have the merchendising rights), devlopmnent of E01 engine (bloody good engine but i heard a lotta money spent on this too, more then my tuition fees)
    - So, now, no more proton or motor vehicle hub..no pointlah sponsor F1, better off sponsoring Premier league team - more eyeballs and more merchendising avenues
    - oh ya. Petronas doesnt have full rights over the merchendising with BMW, that kinda sucks, since its the money spinner
    - technology transfer - adalah sikit, but enough for our engineers to develop own formula engine, but then again..for what?? no more proton kan..must be for a derrick drill contraption,..first in the world, run on F1 base engine or Eo1 base engine
    - lube sales enhance argument is kinda lame - petronas is only king in Malaysia after i dunno, 8 years of F1 sponsorship - itu pun, not really in all the highstreats..mr ah kong and ahmad mechanic still prefer to stock uo on other brands

    I love Petronas. I think its the best run GLC and prolly most independant, but like any entity, it aint RIGHT all the time..plus for 5 year contract, Petronas spent "i heard" US100mil++ during the sauber days to HIRE the ferrari engines and i heard about RM40mil yearly to sponsor sepang...i think other commercial endeavours should be considered

    Jack from PJ

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  41. Anonymous11:04 pm

    So, Bro Rocky, who's paying you to kacau hassan merican?

    Iniminimynimo

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  42. Anonymous12:02 am

    honda is in car making biz, and it no where near podium in f1, ultimate race of car technologies. so they better pull out rather than live with the embarrassment. better for them to put money into asimo which i think provides more good advertising campaign.

    petronas is different story. they dig oil, produce petrol, engine oil, etc. automotive is big customer segment for them and what is the ultimate automotive race event? f1. some more today they are in the same team as bmw. who care about honda.

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  43. Anonymous12:51 am

    hai rocky,

    can u pls write about single school system for our children as proposed by MP Jerlun. This is more interesting topic to discussed further. See how those who always talking about liberalisation react.


    anakmalaysia

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  44. The first F1 race brought so much joy, so much pride, so much feeling of Malaysia Boleh, I totally forgot about anything else..If not now, when then? Still want to continue thinking "I could have done that" rather than "I'm doing that"...Go F1!!

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  45. Anonymous10:07 am

    mnmn
    Stupid drunkard
    The blogger was just floating a suggestion/opinion in light of Honda's withdrawal. Nothing incendiary there unless toddy drunks like you twist it in your arrack fugued minds and start imagining that you are he/she hulks who can vent their anger at anything green!!And i have not heard of petronas people getting bruised as you claim nor have PASsites complained of any such treatment :)

    Stupid fella, keep mouthing off like that and i will track you down in the LRT and throw you off the train so that your bootlegged alcohol fueled imaginings can become head banging realities..Now scram!!

    Iniminimynimo
    A toody drunk who has nothing better to do than sing in the rain.Pray, tell me how does a suggestion/an opinion from a blogger can be implied as a paid job. Guess you inhabit a universe where you get paid with toddy to come up with scurrilous rantings like that one. So fucker, who is picking up your tab, the local chettiar, your ah long, anwar ibrahim, khalid ibrahim, zaid ibrahim, Kit siang, hindraf or are all of them chipping into some common fund for trolls with pea brains to boot, to take potshots at whomever they dislike?

    My take on the whole thing is that Petronas should do a ROI analysis and based on the outcome, do the neccessary. This is despite the fact that thus far it has done ok with Sauber and BMW but the economic environment is getting a bit too chilly for comfort.

    Ya..anakmalaysia..saya sokong 100%!

    Warrior 231

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  46. Anonymous12:11 pm

    It's not important that a hundred thousand people came to watch in Sepang, and a few hundred million saw it on TV. What's important is that Rocky is not a fan of F1; So let's all not support it.

    Way to go bro.

    Cheers,
    MUS

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  47. By Jitu...

    >>>Personally I think Hassan Merican has a bettet judgement on this matter than most of us. Let Petronas decide whats best. <<<

    I would agree with this.

    But how can anyone be sure there won't be any political interference? Easy for the BN supporters to say "Oh, let him decide!" when everyone knew that Hassan wanted to continue royalty payments to the Terengganu state government when PAS was in power but was prevented from doing so by Mahathir.

    Cakap ini lagi senang, realitinya apa? Betul ke Petronas berhak menentukan ke arah mana perbelanjaan? Saya lebih cenderung mengatakan ada campur tangan politik yang disembunyikan.

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  48. Anonymous12:24 pm

    Just because it doesn't concern you, you don't give two hoots. That is wrong, very wrong.

    Remember, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing."

    - Collateral Damage -

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  49. Anonymous12:40 pm

    rocky jangan la.. aku minat sangat formula 1... aku suka team sauber.. hang tak suka jangan la dengki aku.. aku suka.. hang cari la cara lain nak bangkitkan ekonomi negara...

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  50. pembaziran yang ditakrifkan sebagai "kontrak sosial"...

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  51. Anonymous2:51 pm

    Petronas to ditch the F-1????

    Caaaaannot! Tak Boleh. Mana Boleh! We must have gaya and Malaysia Boleh!

    Stylo Malaysian

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  52. Rocky

    First and Foremost, investing in F1 to enhance your international brand presence is second to none.

    Secondly to sustain or even increase your brand presence when the whole market is shying away is a brilliant move. You'll enjoy a bigger persona.

    Just because Honda is pulling out, why should we?

    Sampai bila kita nak ikut telunjuk orang?

    We should pull out only when we think it is a wise decision.

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  53. Anonymous3:30 pm

    Think petronas in F1 doesn't makes anyone think about Malaysia?

    Due to the economy situation, we should scrap it! Believe me, not much people know or care about petronas branding in F1. You have my support Rock!


    Blogger Tmn. Tun

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  54. Anonymous3:31 pm

    Rocky,

    '..It won't be such a great thing to win the races without the Honda team, anyway...'

    Wat are you trying to mean? Honda has been making up the numbers all this while.. So with or without Honda it aint taking the F1 glitter away..

    F1 is definitely a sure profit even unless somebody or someones siphons the money and claimed losses.. It is a norm in Msia after all...

    So basically, I dont think Petronas should scrap the event out of the FIA calendar..

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  55. Anonymous3:42 pm

    yes agree, just maybe until the recession recedes.

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  56. Anonymous4:12 pm

    We need to continue F1 to boost our Ketuanan Melayu ego. We have already got a Melayu to be in space so some how if we can have a Melayu to win F1 someday we will be truly Ketuanan. We must dream and dream big.

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  57. Anonymous4:44 pm

    Hi rocky,

    First of all, I think Tan Sri Hassan and Petronas have a done a great job in protecting the nation's interest and also competing with the big boys in terms of global oil exploration.

    The partnership with BMW Sauber gives Petronas an instant global recognition, the millions that are spent is nothing compared to the new oil fields Petronas are getting. To me, this is a good deal.

    As many has said, the HOnda issue is totally different. Honda car sales has plunged 32% in the states alone, and they are just being proactive to ensure they wil survive the coming depression.

    Cheers

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  58. Anonymous5:41 pm

    Petronas please continue ...

    Hard Rock

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  59. to pull out all together from F1 would be an unimaginary to a corporate giant such as petronas. of course from another angle we could use all those sponsor money for other good cause.

    however petronas adverstisement on behalf of malaysia and their own has had their gained.

    personally i sokong sangat lah petronas menjadi sponsor kalu boleh beli terus team honda tu.... buat team proton ... petronas and proton together in F1 would help to boost proton internationally.

    of course la nama kreta ... model kreta kena tukor dulu. heheheh

    salam bro

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  60. Anonymous7:53 pm

    Gila punya kerja,,,berapa sen saja yang dapat dari iklan penyiaran,,!! Negara-Negara world exporter minyak ta'kisah langsung dengan Formula 1.

    Everytime racing di Sepang berapa kerat aja Malaysian pergi tengok or berapa aja penonton luar negara yang pergi,,????

    May I suggest,,Sepang race circuit,,buat aja gelanggang laga Ayam or buat tempat kuda Racing,,!!!! Banyak duit masuk.

    Jangan fikir Halal or Haram,,,that's the only way to make money in time of Reccession,,kalu nak harapkan Goverment revive the economy,,sampai ke anak cucu ta'kan jadi,,!!!

    Lihat Singapore,,,Night Racing pulak timbul,,Lagi ramai penonton,,!!

    Petronas,,bole concentrate on the other product generated from hasil Minyak, or tahi minyak,,,Tidak guna menghasilkan ramai Chemical or Petroleum Engineer kalu Malaysia only produce Minyak aja,,!!!

    Tak kan Hassan Merican or Petronas Adviser tidak terfikir to produce other by product from the extraction of Gas and Crude Oil,,?????


    -BODO2-

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  61. Anonymous9:58 pm

    you people speak as if petronas is some big global market player that deserve the rostrum, spending hundred of million of peoples' money..wat branding?

    Come on u r not MNC unlike big 4 mobil or xxon..Malaysia is not even an OPEC member country..barrelwise only produces half of our local needs.

    Sheer ego of Dr M Det! Bro, u r right dis time around..

    -nutshell

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  62. Anonymous11:50 pm

    F1 is the pet project of Dr Mahathir for the love of his son's hobbies - fast cars and beautiful woman on the road, remember?. I think is about time that petronas grow up & get rid of this hobby and start something more meaningful to our nations like research on renew able energy and help the country to be energy independent from saudi arabia in the future.

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  63. Anonymous12:37 am

    Rocky, you can't even pretend to know F1 business. And yes, your posts do show you're a lazy between-retirement journalist.

    Give us some punch, Rocky!

    Newstarman

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  64. Ah, many F1 supporters! Thank you for the comments. If Hassan Merican were to base his response to my posting based on the comments here, Petronas will be sponsoring the event for a long time to come.

    However, like a commenter here says, the economic climate is rather chilly. Sony has just announced cutting thousands of jobs worldwide. In Malaysia, over 30,000 people have lost jobs. And the economists are saying that the worst has yet to come. They may be wrong of course. Look at how wrong they were with the oil prices (now they are saying that oil could go down to US$20-plus per barrel!).

    Ecclestone and Mosley themselves have admitted that the cost involved in F-1 has become to high. Unsustainably so, says Ecclestone. In all probability, Petronas is paying way too much for the returns.

    The benefits of the F1 are understood. According to Media's Top 1000 Brands for 2008, Petronas ranks in the top 30-40 per cent on the list. Only three other Malaysian brands are ranked higher than it: Maybank, Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines. Of the three, Air Asia spends money on F1 (with Williams, if I'm not mistaken).

    Honda won't be the only one that will withdraw from, or drastically cut its investment in, the F1. Mark my words. Why? It's the economics.

    If it has become too expensive, it's NOT worth it!

    If Petronas can afford it, very well and by all means. But remember the chill. If Petronas sneezes, the rest of us in this country will catch a terrible cold.

    Thank you.

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  65. Anonymous6:46 am

    Hey guys F1 is going to pick up some clue from Bolehland and introduce something very similar to NEP by having one standard engine. This is to help those who are always stucked at the bottom to have a way to move up.

    So is best not to give up F1 otherwise you guys are label as anti-NEP.

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  66. Anonymous6:58 am

    warrior 231

    Like you said ---an opinion. So why are you expressing your 'opinion' so strongly yourself ?

    Practice what you preach !Worse still---youre politicising the issue. Dun think any of the commenters has in this issue. (this is an opinion ..)

    Clear the jaundice from your eyes and mind. (that is my opinion ---ok !).

    Being attacked. ? Believe you me --there are many thing not reported in the press.....

    mnmn

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  67. Anonymous8:44 am

    What most of us fail torealise is that the F1 involvement is not just about giving money to a race team and let them race around silly round a circuit all over the world.

    Other then the obvious 'branding' , advertising and blah blah blah, more importantly it gives Petronas the opportunity to expand its R and D and testing of its 'core' product - the engine oil and petro. Testing it in the most extreme situation in order to attain a product equivalent if not better then some of the more established competitors' product.

    The race situation is one of the best, demanding and fastest way of improving or creating a new product.

    manamanu

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  68. Anonymous8:47 am

    Oh... my only qualm is that whoever in Petronas who is in charged of negotiating with BMW SHOULD insist on using the Petronas or evn give more space to the the corporate colour and logo of Petronas.
    No two way about that.

    manamanu

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  69. Like some of them here said, FI has intangible value.

    Petronas has gained technological expertise, enhancement of it's brand value and profile.

    likewise, what Malaysia has gained cannot be measured in dollars and cents. It has really put us in the map.

    I remember that studies by UKM, if I'm not mistaken, showed that F1brings RM 1.8billion to the economy.

    The spin offs in terms of tourist dollars has also indirectly reaches every spectre of the economy, the taxis, the concierge boys, waiters to the kacang puteh seller outside the circuit.

    All this would not have been possible without Petronas involvement and support of F1.

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  70. /// Damansara said...
    First and Foremost, investing in F1 to enhance your international brand presence is second to none.

    Secondly to sustain or even increase your brand presence when the whole market is shying away is a brilliant move. You'll enjoy a bigger persona. ///

    Spot on Damansara. On 25 Nov 2008, Tham Khai Meng, a Singaporean, was appointed as Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide as its Worldwide creative Director and Chairman of its Worldwide Creative Council.

    He was quoted in the press as saying, in reference to the tendency to cut back back on advertising during bad times, that "when no one is shouting, even a whisper will be heard loud and clear". I am paraphrasing him as I can't locate that article, but his message is that advertising when your competitors are cutting back will stretch that advertising dollar.

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  71. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  72. Anonymous11:32 am

    Like you said ---an opinion. So why are you expressing your 'opinion' so strongly yourself ?

    Fuckhead: I wrote that this blogger was giving his opinion as he is rightly entitled to within his blogspace. What he wrote can in no way be construed as incendiary as what you alleged the first time around.You even lambasted Rocky for writing without facts. Stupid drunk, the blog is tailored in such a way that it just pops a lil query regarding Petronas' future seeing that Honda has withdrawn and as an icing it suggests P to do the right thing in view of the chilly economic situation. A suggestion an overwhelming number does not agree with. Get it, MF?

    Practice what you preach !Worse still---youre politicising the issue. Dun think any of the commenters has in this issue. (this is an opinion ..)

    Stupid fella : did you not see the icon at the end of the sentence abt PASsites. I was just ribbing about PAS as they share the same colours as Petronas...get it?

    Clear the jaundice from your eyes and mind. (that is my opinion ---ok !).

    Dickhead:Ho!Ho!Ho! Jingle bell! jingle bell! jingle all the way, Warrior is coming, to blow your(mnmn) mind away...

    Being attacked. ? Believe you me --there are many thing not reported in the press.....

    Shithole: Must be reported in the Tamil Murasu then or you happen to be a Petronas pump attendant?? Dont talk cocklah. I skulk around a lot of places, subways, LRTs, alleys, commuters, KLCC, restaurants, karaokes, malls, hotels etc. etc. and i aint got any reports of Pet's employees or even Hassan Merican himself of being 'fondled' in public or 'molested' in private.....now scram back to your workplace and clean that windshield properly, will ya.. gives you a better perspective of things.....

    Warrior 231

    PS: Interesting point Balan, can you share with us the UKM thingy.

    manamanu, the and by default damansara: you guys expressed precisely what i was thinking. i salute u all. Anyway, i still feel that Pet (not that RPK scum!) should do a ROI and maybe a Balanced Scorecard or Blue Ocean to ascertain whether it can wring out the same returns both tangible and intangibles.

    Read yesterday, how Mclaren expects a drop in revenue and Williams predicting another manufacturer will bite the dust soon. (my guess is that it will be Toyota)

    Warrior 231

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  73. Anonymous11:42 am

    Zia
    Fuel and lubricant technology is a major part of it as just like tyres,they determine winners or losers in nanosecs.Furthermore, as they are tested 'life" in extreme conditions, their reliability can be better gauged ,just like the tyres and the carbon brakes, something that can never be obtained under simulated conditions.

    Wow! you are getting ideas of Mokh pushing the gov to do his bidding vis-a-vis Petronas and Sepang. The reality is the grand prix is supported by the government as the assurance provided by Phark lah to Bernie will attest. So take your flights of fancy elsewhere... and mismanagement..ha!ha!ha!some fakatan crap must have got entangled in your synapses. You are alraedy speculating the unseen... enuff said...

    Warrior 231

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  74. Anonymous12:01 pm

    petronas should stay in F1, even more so when others are pulling out.

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  75. Anonymous3:22 pm

    i wud agree with zia that petronas shouldn't do honda F1, that's not their core business. I guess now the sponsorship are purely on marketing and branding. you never know this brilliant hassan marican, maybe syntium will be the OEM for BMW worldwide!!! Sometimes i pity petronas, they got support and recognition all the way from international community, but not from its own people.

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  76. Anonymous3:26 pm

    people, don't blame Hassan, he is just following orders.

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  77. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  78. Anonymous5:54 pm

    Zia

    I respect your opinions. My only beef is with this part:

    "Petronas on the other hand have hidden forces behind it's company politics driving them to accept certain policies."

    You seem to imply that the decision was forced upon the Petronas board from someone above but you did not provide a shred of evidence to back up that assertion. Thus, whatever you say might amount to hearsay, nothing more.

    As for fuel and lubricants, do visit the following sites:

    http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/exxonmobil/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20060628005090&ndmHsc=v2*A1072962000000*B1151528286000*C4102491599000*DgroupByDate*J2*N1001106&newsLang=en&beanID=2030803304&viewID=news_view

    This: Since 1993, the fuel used in F1 has been virtually identical to gasoline used by road cars, a move driven in part by the desire on the part of the oil companies involved to have demonstrable links between race and road fuel.That selling point remains key -- F1 fuel could be used in a road car, providing a 40bhp power boost at 10 times the cost of regular unleaded.
    from: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/09/18/fuel.future/

    elfracing.com/lub/lubroot.nsf/VS_OPM/...?OpenDocument

    this:One of the practical results achieved by Petrobras’ work in Formula One was the launch of the Podium gasoline, the best fuel in Brazil.
    from:http://www.f1technical.net/features/9647?sid=910d8d07b2278dcc9715a0b5d017d26f&sid=910d8d07b2278dcc9715a0b5d017d26f

    http://www.f1technical.net/features/9818

    http://www.total-us.com/lub/content/NT0004CC56.pdf

    and http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/8400/900/

    We may agree to disagree on this as i don't buy your arguments pertaining to management accounting outlined in your comments as my sources in that field offer a different story. Anyway, it was a good exchange of views for a change and I wish you all the best in your studies.

    Warrior 231

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  79. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  80. Anonymous11:40 am

    Hey People! Put it this way.

    WHY ISN'T ANYONE BANGING ON AIRASIA WHO IS SPONSORING MILLIONS OF RINGGIT ON A CHICKEN FEET TEAM WILLIAMS?

    Speaking of coverage and revenue. I personally think that AirAsia's move is totally wasting money. Think about it. None of the racers from that team actually stand on the podium before. What a shame. This is a typical example of wasting money.

    Instead PETRONAS is sponsoring BMW Sauber here. It is in fact the No.3 team in F1 today. I myself is not a PETRONAS fan because I personally don't like its service at the petrol stations and the price hike. But I'm indeed a Robert Kubica fan. This young man from Polland had actually defeated Ferrari and Mclaren and won 1st at the Canada race. He is even the 2nd in the Malaysia race and told reporters that racing here in Malaysia is like racing at home. I'm impressed. Who say people only know about Massa or Hamilton or Alonso? There are plenty of potential racer out there. And Kubica is certainly one of them.

    I think PETRONAS made a good choice in sponsoring a winning team. It is not just about advertisement. This is about the Brand. Look at how this company is being widely praised in the Japan and the Europe countries. This is what it gains. Besides that. Since I myself is in the advertising line. Let me tell you guys that paying for advertisements is in fact MUCH MUCH MORE than sponsoring a F1 team. I'm serious about that. Check with any advertising people from ASTRO, ESPN, BBC and CNN. And you will be shock to see those shocking figures which stakes up higher than the estimated expenses spent by PETRONAS in Motorsports.

    Oh ya. Don't forget that Lee Kuan Yew has onced made a statement that he feels regret of not following Tun Mahathir's footstep to be involved in F1 10 years ago. Now that Singapore started to touch on F1 and we are pulling out? Do you want to be look down by those Kia Su people just over the straits? I don't. I say PETRONAS should stay and sponsor F1 and made every Malaysian proud! This is the only think that makes me feel proud of having a national oil company like PETRONAS!

    Regards,
    Clarissa

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  81. Anonymous2:03 pm

    And a note to the previous paragraph, this close relative of mine is related to Hassan Merican. I saw your previous posts and please don't try to be a smarty pants and refute everything others have to say. Do reply respectfully and not like this:


    And i was thinking i was at last dealing with some educated and rational being.How wrong can one get? You are just a fuckedup shithead after all... just like those Fakatan scum you adore. You must be a closet admirer of them trolls.. i suppose. No one is playing smartypants here, cunthole. Get that into your egghead first or has all that grey matter migrated into your buttocks?.

    If you want to comment do so with facts not speculative rubbish. I am sure the blogmaster here would expect that, at the very least, from his readers simply because he just writes the facts as they are. You talk like an RPK apologist when that scum to a large extent been totally discredited. In fact the man has got no credibility..just like a lallang blowing in the wind.. buttering his bread with all and sundry.

    The fact that you couldnt refute what i wrote about them lubricants must be galling for a cunthole management accountant who thinks he/she knows it all. That is replete in your sarcastic rejoinder:

    "You must love your lubricants"

    You got egg on your face and was riled up by my repartee so you cant take it poor sod!! So what do scum like you do.. resort to ad hominem of course, trawl up "some dirt" and ascend the high moral ground and start lobbing them asinine grenades (sounds familiar isn it from somewhere).

    I didnt engage you, remember, youstarted the exchange when my comments were directed at Balan, Manumanu etc. You butted your nose in with this:

    "I have to disagree with one F1 supporter amongst the commentors. Petronas does not really benefit from the F1 technology. Fuel is such a minor part of F1."

    And i thought i will clarify. So kaki sibuk ..what's the beef? you are trying to hound me outta here with your pompous pretentious prattle.Forget it.. for i am going to fire full blown salvoes if you dont scram outta my sight. Simply put;if you want to engage me, do so with facts nit shit. The marks of a civil society is intellectual exchange based on F.A.C.T.S not BULLSHIT.. GET IT!!

    You seem to be putting out that you are from the elite, closet wanker. No one is bothered about yoUr status and your so-called insider information. The way you throw that"information" around is what makes you stink more than even a one month old piece of shit. You yourself admit it as much with this:

    "I agree with you that these claims may end up to no more than hearsay."

    and then you adroitly switch the story to VK, Proton etc as if i am interested. Why should i trust you when you have been throwing red herrings from that rusty trawler you call a brain!!. Keep those comments shoved up in your arse and constipate on them and release them on Anwar's plate if he deigns to hear your cheapskate gossip after some wanking sessions!!

    The problem with your types is that they assume the high moral ground and think they are right always. I can go along with that..no problems.. but provided PROOF grounded in FACTS are given.Blog commenting is about exercising your intellect in a responsible manner. Articulating facts coherently and marshalling information to support arguments. You elitism and purported intellectualism stinks to high heaven and when i read another of your asinine jibes in a later post, i can see where you are coming from. Yeah, Malaysians may be poor readers..tthat old horse been flogged to death.. but we certainly could do withourt insolent scum readers like you. The types who purport that their information is from books, documents etc but whose real sources are "fly by night" rumour mills, mentally half baked indigents and the cliched "friend of a friend"; "relative of a relative"; "grandpa of a grandma"; "datuk of a cicit" and all those sundry bullshit "sources". You may be Hassan Merican's pet gold fish or phark lah's concubine for all i care.At least i dont have have to massage an infantile ego by dropping names and boasting about my connections for if i start indulging myself you will be stupefied (yah; Obama is my half brother and Osama is .....). Now idiot, scram back to your books and dont go plagiarising to do your thesis for by the looks of it you certainly sound like one who will do just that!! a scum who will never cum - what a waste of sperm and egg!!

    Warrior 231

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  82. Anonymous12:13 am

    My comments at 2.03pm were directed at Zia Mohzani, the last "melayu Lupa diri" intellectual of the the Lost World.

    Warrior 231

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  83. Anonymous12:24 pm

    rocky,
    Juz write matters those u masters. Stay away from u dont. Petronas and motosport indeed u r dont.

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  84. Anonymous4:03 pm

    anon 12.24pm,

    I beg to disagree. Rocky was just reporting facts about the Honda case and by extension, mooted a suggestion for Petronas to consider..nothing more..nothing less. All the blogmaster wanted was responsible and factual feedback from the readers of his post and this much is clearly implied in his post timestamped:2.37am.

    This is the hallmark of Rocky's blog, which i admire and which should be emulated by other so-po blogs. I make no bones of it and before has been wankers suggest that i am buttering him up..whoa there..let me make myself patently clear, i gain NO personal benefit from expressing this. To me Rocky is the epitome of the responsible blogger, report the facts as they are and i can safely assume that he wants us to exercise the same responsibility in our comments not wank away our angst through putrid droppings of intellect, rumour mongering, indulging in ego trips etc. This is not the place for those types of imbecile behaviour for the blogmaster does not deign to play those asinine games as certain other blogs do despite accusations been thrown at him to tar his reputation. Reader stats dont lie!!

    And my responses to comment such as those while vulgar is just desserts for those who think they can browbeat us into submission as they subtly push their hidden agenda.Just be forewarned that if you want to indulge me in those games, I have loads of "ammunition" including heavy stuff to unleash back at you, just as in real life I will ram my fist down your throat and to hell with the consequences!! for i know, a brain concussion, whether administered virtually or actually does wonders to resuscitate dead wits.

    Warrior 231

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  85. assalamualaikum rocky bru.PLeasew stop trying to blame and slam the government.Just want u to know Petronas has done a lot of good things to me and malays.They are wiilling to spend 2 billion to sponsor students locally and internationally.They are making 67 billion a year so why making fuss?Bersyukurlah ko dpt duduk mlaysia.KLau Opposition rule Malaysia aku rasa masjid pun susah nk hidup.Ya allah tunjukkan jln kpd rocky bru utk tidakj lg menghentam kerajjan krana perbuatan itu dosa.Amin

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  86. Anonymous10:59 pm

    I totally disagree with the call for Petronas to pull out of F1. Although F1 is an expensive sport, to equate Petronas with Honda is probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard. They make car fuel, and F1 is probably the most advanced Research & Development field out there for fuel and lubricants. Because Petronas collaborates technically with BMW the research and development flows into the Primax fuels and Syntium oil that we use. That's one benefit right there!

    Secondly, F1 is actually good for the country. Malaysia hosts the F1 race with cheapest tickets in the world so tourist might take the opportunity to come to the country and spend money here. Promote it right, then F1 has the potential to bring in tons of money. Not to mention all the taxes incurred by the F1 teams to operate here. You think that they are not taxed if they bring all their cars and equipment here? If that wasn't the case, why then would Singapore host an F1 race themselves? Because they can see the potential, while some Malaysian, unfortunately can't see beyond the tip of their nose.

    Thirdly, what's all this talk about Petronas funding public transport? What are they, welfare? Everything Petronas have to pay? If that's the case, then the company would have no money whatsoever! Yes they are a government linked company, but they're not a government agency. There's a huge difference there. They are accountable not to the government, but to their shareholders, of which Khazanah is one of them. If you want to receive some of that wealth, why don't you buy a share in Petronas or any of its subsidiaries?

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  87. 1 alasan mengapa kita tidak harus menyerah f1. dan itu adalah 'singapore memilikinya.' bagi saya, apa yang telah dan singapore tidak dipikirkan dengan baik. tidak seperti beberapa hal yang kita lakukan. jadi untuk f1, tetap di sini karena kami telah mendapatkannya.

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  88. 1 alasan mengapa kita tidak harus menyerah f1. dan itu adalah 'singapore memilikinya.' bagi saya, apa yang telah dan singapore tidak dipikirkan dengan baik. tidak seperti beberapa hal yang kita lakukan. jadi untuk f1, tetap di sini karena kami telah mendapatkannya.

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  89. 1 reason why we should not give up f1. and that is ' singapore has it.' to me, what singapore has and does is well thought out. unlike some of the things we do. so for f1, keep it here since we have got it.

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