By Yasmin Ramlan
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Gombak MP Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari has slammed an Opposition MP for misrepresenting the facts around the closing of Goodyear Malaysia’s manufacturing plant in Shah Alam by the end of the year.
Following the shutdown of the global tyremaker’s factory in Akron, Ohio, the United States, which laid off some 500 workers in January of last year, the company initiated a restructuring drive in September 2023, leading to job losses in other regions as well.
His comments were in response to the claims made by Machang MP and Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamil during his earlier debate session in the Dewan Rakyat on the factory’s closure.
“Goodyear has also implemented its restructuring drive in September 2023, resulting in 1,200 job cuts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
“The restructuring was necessary as they were unable to compete with its rivals, like Bridgestone,” Amirudin, who is also the Selangor Menteri Besar, said in his debate on the royal address by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, in Parliament today.
In September last year, Reuters reported that Goodyear’s restructuring will result in “significant” savings from 2024 until 2025 and comes as the company seeks to streamline its business and improve its cost structure.
The company also forecasted total pre-tax charges of between US$210 million (RM988.1 million) and US$230 million (RM1.08 billion) by 2025 due to the restructuring.
Earlier, it was reported that a widely circulated internal memo on social media platforms cited Goodyear Asia Pacific president Nathaniel Madarang as saying the Shah Alam factory closure was part of the company’s transformation programme to streamline its operations.
The closure of the factory, which began operating in 1972, will impact 550 of its employees.
Wan Fayhsal had also cited former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s statement against the Federal government, blaming it for the closure of the 52-year-old manufacturing plant.
His remarks came after he criticised the Federal administration’s performance in handling the ringgit’s decline, to which Amirudin defended the present-day government’s economic performance, pointing out that Malaysia is currently recovering.
“I acknowledge Machang’s (Wan Ahmad Fayhsal) point of view regarding the ringgit.
“But based on two briefing sessions I attended with banking institutions, they estimated the ringgit could appreciate to between RM4.40 and RM4.20 against the dollar by the end of the year,” he said.
Amirudin added that recent trends have also indicated a strengthening of the ringgit, with its value reaching its highest point between February 20 and today before dropping to RM4.70.
This development underscores the need for the Federal government to take proactive measures to address the matter, alongside maintaining the current low overnight policy rate (OPR) at 3 per cent.
Efforts to curb inflation have proven successful, contributing to a reduction in the inflation rate.
“He (Ahmad Fayhsal) may not have lied (about his statement), but he appears to be manipulating it (putar belit) within the current situation to create a (negative) perception to tarnish the government, which we must counter,” he said.
