(Aug 20): "Low Yat 2", the proposed electronics store strictly for Malay traders, is expected to begin operations in three months, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

He said "Low Yat 2" would consist of 30 kiosks set up on the third floor of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) building, located along Jalan Raja Laut, in Kuala Lumpur.

"I told the Mara director yesterday that I want it completed immediately," Ismail Sabri said at a press conference in Ampang today.

However, he said the briefing on the building's proposal, which was to be held after the Cabinet meeting yesterday, has been pushed to August 24.

"It should have been yesterday, but yesterday I attended the Bahtera (Bumipreneurs of Tomorrow) programme launched by the prime minister.

"So I have postponed it to Monday, 3pm, after the Cabinet meeting. Mara will explain in detail how it will carry out the programme."

Ismail Sabri courted controversy when he proposed last week that a Malays-only version of Low Yat Plaza be opened in Kuala Lumpur.

He said he aimed for "100% Malay traders", but added that he would be less strict about suppliers, since none were Malays.

The proposal earned him flak, with even Barisan Nasional (BN) component party MCA criticising the plan.

Ismail Sabri mooted the idea about a month after a racial scuffle broke out at Low Yat Plaza.

On February 2, he had also called for Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses, saying this would leave them no choice but to reduce their prices. – The Malaysian Insider