Newly minted Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has suggested the creation of a "Low Yat 2" - a electronics store dedicated to Malay traders.

Ismail Sabri suggested that the "Low Yat 2" be established at the third floor of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) headquarters along Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur.

He said that "Low Yat 2" will be able to rival Low Yat Plaza, which is Malaysia's best known electronic goods store.

"We will prepare the floor as soon as possible and we will give space to Malay traders, particularly.

"We will turn it into 'Low Yat 2' and we will gather as many big suppliers as possible at this building," he said, after attending the Mara open house in Kuala Lumpur today, according to Astro Awani.

'No Malay suppliers'

He said "Low Yat 2" will be able to fulfill the needs of the people who previously had to go to Low Yat Plaza for gadgets and the likes.

While agreeing that there are competing service providers, Ismail Sabri believed that the public would appreciate it if they could purchase directly from suppliers.

"Our target is 100 percent Malay traders. (But) there has never been a supplier from the Malays, so we will give some leeway," he said.

Negative sentiments towards Low Yat Plaza came to a boiling point after a mobile phone theft last month escalated into a riot.

Discussions about the incident online had also taken a racial tone.