YOURSAY | ‘Mindset of buying from same race is misguided, doomed to fail.’

Malakat Mall closure: Race, religion won’t help boost business

JusticeNow!: Malakat Mall’s founder Mohd Fadzil Hashim started with the wrong premise; he thought that the Chinese only buy from Chinese and Indians from Indians!

With this wrong premise, he builds a business model that the Malays will also buy from the Malays.

People will buy what they want from a place where they get their value for the money they spend.

When money is tight, you will make sure every sen counts! Fadzil bet his investments on the wrong premise and paid for it, period.

As for his “abang, adik” (big brother, little brother) reference, usually it is abang who helps adik but instead he wanted adik to help abang.

This is condescending. As long as you think you are an abang, the adik will have nothing to teach you.

To the Chinese, it is the sifu (master) who teaches the disciples. Lastly, bring in people who know and have experience in running retail businesses. It's not a walk in the park!

Spritzer: It's so sad to read the pathetic excuses they give for the failure of their Malakat Mall. If it's due to the Covid-19 lockdown, then why are malls such as Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, 1 Utama and Pavilion thriving right now?

Do non-Malays prioritise purchasing goods from their community? Nonsense!

I do not know of one friend or family member who cares about which race owns the business they purchase from. I just don't get it.

In this report, Malaysia University of Science and Technology economics lecturer Barjoyai Bardai stated that the Malays tend to help their own when it comes to business, then how can their mall still fail when the Malays make up the largest percentage of the population by far?

Jaded: The reason why I patronise a shop is not because the owner is of the same race or religion.

It's because the merchandise and services that are available fulfil my needs and tastes at the right price.

The reason why some of the malls' rentals are high is also due to the foot traffic they command, which in turn offers higher sales for the retailer.

Consumers may buy from a certain race potentially because the designs or features appeal more to them, which may explain why this perception arises.

Businesses are so competitive now that even non-Malay shops are closing down because they can’t keep up.

The mindset of buying from the same race and religion is so irrelevant and misguided that models based on this are only doomed to fail.

FitnessPro: Business is business. If the Malays are unable to do business well, then empower them. If by empowering them and they are not able to rise, do a post-mortem analysis.

But don’t blame other races for one’s failure. Instead, learn to blame ourselves. Take responsibility.

Be accountable. Be honest and true to yourself for your failure. Then only you can take control of your future.

Mario T: Work with those who are knowledgeable and experienced and not against them.

Religion and race have no place in business, otherwise one becomes prejudiced and restricted in growth. Face reality.

As famous inventor Thomas Edison once said, success is 99 percent perspiration and one percent aspiration.

Meerkat: There is a place for niche marketing. Malakat Mall may have thought they had a niche, but it didn't turn out that way, or they might have miscalculated the potential.

It's a business risk. We should not be so quick to assume it's racial.

Coward: @Meerkat, I say miscalculated. Businesses go out of their way to find a neutral-sounding name.

Names like Malakat Mall and Mara Digital Mall send the signal that a segment of society is not welcomed.

In other countries, this type of targeting would have been illegal even if it was successful. Race and religion can help improve business value, but it cannot replace business value.

Low Yat Plaza's Malay tenants manage to secure their place in a very competitive market because they deliver the same values as others.

They don't even need to play their race and religion card.

Mugi: Malakat Mall, you are not alone. Many malls in the Klang Valley are on life support. Sooner or later they will also call it a day.

The disposable income of most people has shrunk, the cost of living has been up and the government has not done much to help ease the suffering.

Lovemalaysia2: How is the building going to be used in the future? Hopefully, it won’t become derelict and a blot on the landscape through neglect.

There are too many scruffy and ugly buildings in Kuala Lumpur already.

Turnedback: Doing business should not be confined to a specific race. It should be open to all Malaysians who are willing to purchase, and have the purchasing power to do so.

Relating everything to race and religion are the only tools used by those insecure, weak politicians to brainwash those in the rural communities.

ScarletCheetah8198: At the end of the day, everyone looks for variety, quality, price, service and ambience.

Very few people, if any at all, buy based on ethnicity or religion except for specific items exclusive to their race or religion.

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