Five-star malls not providing enough opportunities for Malay vendors

High-end shopping malls have very few Malay vendors despite there being Malays on their board of directors, said a Perak Umno delegate.

Datuk Mohd Radzi Manan said the Malay board directors of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), which owns a stake in these shopping centres, were not doing enough to provide opportunities for Malays to open their businesses there.

"These are five-star shopping malls, but I do not see any shops owned by Malays. Where are the Malays? Only at 'no-star' shopping malls," he told delegates when debating a motion on the economy at the 2014 Umno general assembly here Friday.

He said Malay corporate heads, who were now "sitting in big chairs", should not forget that Umno put them there.

"To the Malay boards of directors, don't sit in your high chairs and be silent. Champion the interests of Umno, the Malays, and Islam," he said.

He also hit out at some "warlord" Umno leaders for giving projects to Chinese  contractors and neglecting the Malays.

"When they want votes, they find the Malays. But once they win, they look for the Chinese captains," he added.