Minister Ismail Sabri has done a great disservice to the very traders he “wanted to help” at the Mara digital mall when he recently announced that all products sold must go thru a sole distributor WGN Scan Sdn Bhd.
The imposition of a middleman will definitely increase cost, and in a very competitive It industry, this is going to hurt all the retailers at the Mara digital mall. Their competitors at Low Yat and other It centers would have the advantage of sourcing from the best suppliers without a government imposed middleman.
In the current economic climate, where most Malaysians are feeling the pinch of rising cost of living, any new digital mall attempting to start up and take on a very competitive industry is going to be very challenging. The imposition of a middle man makes the situation much worse for the traders and will diminish their chances of success.
Once again this UMNO minister is demonstrating that the UMNO run federal government is most friendly towards sent seeking activities and protecting cronies than advancing the well being of the ordinary Malay and Malaysian struggling to cope with rising cost of living and a tough business environment.
Such a silly policy to force a middleman must be abolished immediately. Let the retailers choose the best suppliers for themselves. If they choose WGN, then so be it. But if they want to source from other distributors, especially the many manufacturer authorized distributors in the country, then let them. Ismail Sabri should not get in the way.