After the suggestion to set up ‘Plaza Low Yat 2’ was mooted, various state governments have expressed interest in setting up similar complexes in their own states, according to Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He told the ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya this morning that he hopes his idea would expand to become a national programme.

“Some menteris besar have offered a venue for us to set up in Selangor, in Negeri Sembilan, in Terengganu, and when I was in Sabah, they also asked us to set up one in Kota Kinabalu.

“InsyaAllah (God willing), we will turn it into a national programme and we will expand it,” he said.

Ismail Sabri had mooted the idea of a bumiputera-run and owned IT retail centre, following a riot outside Low Yat Plaza in Kuala Lumpur on July 13.

The riot was sparked by a phone theft that was turned into a racial issue on social media.

However, Ismail Sabri avoided using the term ‘Low Yat 2’ during his speech today, despite coining the word. Instead he referred to it as ‘Gadget Hub’.

“I don’t want to mention ‘Low Yat 2’ anymore. Otherwise people will scold me again. As long as people understand what it is, that’s good enough,” he said.

In his speech, Ismail Sabri also told the civil servants that a logo design and naming competition for Gadget Hub had closed yesterday, drawing over 3,000 entries.

December opening date

At a press conference later, he said a winner for the competition will be selected soon and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) would also be calling for applications to become stallholders at the hub soon, with the selection process to start by the end of the month.

The winning entry of the naming competition would become the final name for Gadget Hub which was initially known as ‘ Pusat Jualan IT @ Busana, Menara Mara’.

In his speech, Ismail Sabri also said that renovations at Mara IT Centre at Menara Mara in Kuala Lumpur to accommodate the Gadget Hub would finish by end of November, with its opening day in early December.