Big names in electronics such as Apple, Samsung, HP and Oppo will open their outlets in Mara Digital soon.

This, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, shows how even big brands have confidence in the new digital mall for bumiputera traders.

Ismail was responding to former law minister Zaid Ibrahim who said that the minister's project will surely fail in the long run.

Ismail however pointed out how the mall has only been opened for a week.

“How can we say that the mall will not succeed. I am confident that it will succeed, (just) give them a chance,” he said in a press conference in Shah Alam tonight.

“How can we immediately make a decision saying that the mall will not succeed when it’s only been a week."

Big brands such as Apple, Samsung, HP and Oppo, he added, would have conducted surveys on the mall’s potential beforehand.

“They will not open outlets just like that. If they dare to open outlets there (at Mara Digital), it is obviously after a survey was conducted and after they became confident that the place will succeed.”

These big brands, said Ismail, will start operating at the mall end of this month.

“That’s why Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has yet to make large scale promotions for the mall as we want to wait until all the outlets are filled with tenants,” he said.

“I hope people like Zaid could give a chance to these traders.

“If possible, we should help them to succeed. We should not be condemning them,” he said.

Zaid’s blog post today was in response to Ismail who yesterday said that Mara Digital will be replicated nationwide. Zaid suggested that Ismail should “go slowly” in the matter.

Ismail’s brainchild courted controversy after the minister initially proposed for it to be named ‘Low Yat 2’ to rival the original Low Yat Plaza.

Low Yat Plaza witnessed a race riot in July following a theft incident.