MOHE (Malaysia) looking for high quality European students. VW cancel Proton talks.

This weekend I attended the Education fair at PWTC in KL. It was run by NAPEI National Association of Higher Education Institutions
The Malaysian goverment had several agencies represented there. I managed to get a PDF file sent to me outlining all the steps required to set up a private University. It is seventy seven pages and very comprehensive!
The Star wrote an article about the fair entitled:
Be committed, private educationists told
Here are a couple of quotes from the article:
KUALA LUMPUR: With the licences of over 70 private higher education institutions cancelled by the Higher Education Ministry over the past three years, private educationists must be committed if they want to remain in the field.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah who said this, added that between 2007 and 2008, the licences of 56 colleges were revoked while 22 more were cancelled in 2009.
pic borrowed from the Star

 Job well done: Saifuddin (second from right) presenting the NAPEI Academic Excellence Award 2009 to (from left) Seri Suria senior principal Lee Seow Ping, Smart Reader representative Moganaveni, and Masterskill vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Nik Rahimah Nik Yacob, while National Association of Private Educational Institutions (NAPEI) President Assoc Prof Elajsolan Mohan (right) looks on.

He told reporters later that the current challenge for private and public higher education institutions was to bring in quality international students, specifically Europeans.

It looks like the Ministry of Higher Education want better and more internationally focussed institutions. I found the European reference interesting.
It would be my intention to have European partners in MUM. The reason I would like to set up a private University is so I can cater to global students. Having a circuit based college would be unique. I'm sure we would have student applications from Europe. As a merit based institution they would not necessarily get priority.

By the way the VW Proton talks are now over. There is no agreement between the two OEM's.
Here is a short quote from a Business Times article:

Proton, in a brief statement today, said that Volkswagen confirmed it currently has other priorities and that a potential collaboration with Malaysia’s car maker could not be pursued.

Oh well. Nothing new there then.

An interesting view of VW take over of Italdesign

I have just come across a very well written paper on VW. It is written by Turan Ahmed
turan@investment-auto-motives.com,
http://investment-auto-motives.blogspot.com/2010/05/companies-focus-western-8-vw-ag-repeat.html  
This only a small part of a very comprehensive article on VW. This quote is taken from the end of a general explanation of the reasoning behind the take over...  
Furthermore, investment-auto-motives suspects that it is also a vehemently strategic move by VW AG. Given that Giugiaro is presenting a Proton-Badged flexi-powertrain city-car at the Geneva Autoshow; with Proton owning Lotus Group (Engineering & Cars) a company which has been intendedly 'over-run' by ex-Ferrari (ie FIAT) management, Piech et al may fear FIAT's potential use – or perceived use - of a technically disruptive new product appearing from FIAT-Chrysler. So seems to be either taking over Italdesign Giugiaro to either integrate the project into VW or suffocate the project so as not to interfere with VW Up and its own e-vehicle kudos.

This is of course the writers/institutions own opinion. It is true Dany Bahar has hired a large number of his former Fiat colleagues. I have to assume that was done with the full backing of Proton.
Lotus had prior to Dany's arrival and Chrysler's recent Fiat management takeover, agreed to supply the Europa as a mule for Chrysler to produce an electric powered sports car (Dodge EV).
Fiat have cancelled that arrangement, so Dany and his team aren't that influencial as far as Fiat are concerned...
pic borrowed from itechnews.net

Unless they see Proton's use of Italdesign as being Dany Bahar led. Dany's recent work experience is with Fiat. Therefore Fiat introduced Dany to Italdesign and most probably have some clever projects lined up with them... (pure conjecture on my part).
VW have been in negotiations with Proton for some years now, and supposedly may soon sign some kind of collaborative agreement. Perhaps the EMAS will become a joint venture?  Who knows (I don't...)
EMAS pic borrowed from paultan.org