Mara's business establishments should not be seen as a racial agenda - Ismail Sabri

The establishment or development of any entity initiated by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) should not be questioned by any party, let alone be labelled as one-sided with racist motives, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the effort taken in developing business establishments was proof of Mara's commitment to contribute towards the nation's transformation agenda.

"When the set up of Mara Digital mall was first mentioned, many felt that it was unnecessary and assumed that it was racially motivated.

"In fact, it was merely a move undertaken by Mara in its role to uplift the Bumiputera socio-economic condition, especially in education," he told reporters after launching Mara's 2016 National Labour Day celebration at the Mara Skills Institute (IKM) in Beseri here Saturday.

Also present were the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and Mara director-general Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad.

As such, Ismail Sabri called on all Mara employees to defend the true objective of the agency's establishment in protecting the needs and interests of future generations.

On Mara University or UniMARA, Ismail Sabry said the institution would begin operations in July from a Mara-owned building in Bukit Jalil with an initial intake of 200 students in professional development, public policy and leadership as well as engineering fields.