Ismail Sabri, may the Sales Force be with you

YOURSAY | ‘Remember Aesop's Fable - the dog and its reflection.’

Ismail Sabri: Bumi digital malls to be opened nationwide

Vijay47: I do my IT shopping at the Curve or Digital Mall because of the great choice, reasonable prices, and it is convenient, not because the stores there are run by Chinese, Japanese, or left-handed Punjabi-speaking Lithuanians.

I don't recall anyone being ‘sidelined’ from doing business anywhere - you want to be a chef, you need to be heat-resistant.

Sure, Rural and Regional Development Miniser Ismail Sabri Yaakob, give your bumiputera wards rent-free stores which should strengthen what they already believe in, that the oyster world is for them to grab without payment or effort.

Why, you can also play Santa Claus and give them stock that will never need to be paid for. Too bad Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil only knows about cows.

Should things still go bad, as government-linked companies (GLCs) ably prove, you can always get PM Najib Abdul Razak to declare Low Yat and similar areas to be security zones where IT products cannot be sold.

Or you can ban Malays from patronising non-Malay digital malls lest such activities confuse them and weaken their faith. May the Sales Force be with you.

Anonymous_1421406986: Don't isolate the races. Let them compete and to learn the art of trade from the better ones. Why encourage competition just among the same race?

To compete, whatever the race, they need experience, money, ideal location, strong range of products, timely replenishment, reliable suppliers, introduction of new products, honest dealings and good customer relationship.

Very importantly, one must also have sound knowledge about maintaining proper set of accounts and prompt payment to suppliers.

Finally, do not be in too much of a hurry to change your lifestyle. Build your wealth and customer base before proceeding to the next level. Does the minister understand all these?

Quigonbond: Ismail Sabri, we would be happy if the single mall or replicates thereof, work and bring in loads of money for Mara and the retailers. But surely you want to wait and see if it works first before opening up another one.

It's not your own money you are spending. It is already an inauspicious sign that you opened the first one with free rental for six months – it sounds about right as another BN project involving crutches.

Justine Gow: Let Ismail Sabri open as many branches as he likes but not at the expense of Malaysian taxpayers.

The more branches, the greater the chance of failure, especially if a good business plan is not in place.

Doc: Good luck, Ismail Sabri. Hopefully your bumiputera IT mall concept works out. Just to point out one issue.

Your boss is really screwing up the economy, hence people are spending less, especially on non-essential items like digital stuff.

Opening more bumiputera IT malls in these trying economical times may be challenging for the retailers.

Mojo Jojo: Ismail Sabri, you may say that it is all right that people show no support for your mono-ethnic venture, but I am afraid that your use of the word ‘sabotage’ could mean many things to various people.

A definition for the word ‘sabotage’ listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is ‘an act or process tending to hamper or hurt’.

As such, could it mean that my deliberate aversion and subsequent avoidance of patronising vendors within Mara Digital malls constitute an act of ‘sabotage’?

In the end, though, I am dying to know one thing - which ethnic community will be blamed and who the scapegoats would be if your nationwide, government-led and mono-ethnic initiative becomes a giant white elephant?

6th Generation Immigrant: Yes, no one should sabotage Ismail Sabri's plans for Mara Digital, and rightly he should also ensure no one sabotages Low Yat Plaza by coming out with all sort of subsidies, advantages and licensing to stifle this already blooming and successful business.

Remember Aesop's Fable - the dog and its reflection - a hope that Ismail Sabri is aware of this guiding principle?

Let the willing seller and willing buyer rule guide both businesses, with no wastages concealed from Mara side and none taken from the other. In Low Yat, a loss is a complete loss as they receive no government support.

Res Ipsa: Ismail Sabri, won't you guys ever learn? For a business enterprise to succeed, they have to go through the full works from scratch, go through hardships especially in the early stages, learn to persevere in such times, and having gone through all the major obstacles eventually reach the pinnacle of success through their own blood, toil and sweat.

This will also ensure that the entrepreneur learns to treasure and appreciate the true value of money with a sense of satisfaction. This act of indulging in handouts would surely be the passport to failure since complacency would set in.

This is perhaps the reason why many moderate Malay traders, especially from the younger generation, want to ‘play’ on a level-playing field and work their way up through sheer hard work.

They want that sense of satisfaction instead of the short-lived joy that they may experience with the goodies thrown in. By the way, please stop playing the racial card once and for all. We are all Malaysians.

RCZ: Well, it is clear that even the Malays are fed up with acts that make them stupid and reliant.

Obviously Ismail Sabri has not heard of the saying give a man a fish and he eats for the day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.

Umno, please carry on and cheat your own race and they will reject you more.

Ipohcrite: Is it just me or do you also get the feeling that it is futile to explain plain economics to Umno ministers like Ismail Sabri? You can't succeed with a broken system. -Mkini