JOHOR BARU: A marketing company selling Japan-made health products has created a stir after posting a notice allowing only Malays into its premises here.
The incident occurred less than two months after a self-service launderette in Muar received a rebuke from Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar for putting up a controversial signboard that only allowed Muslim patrons.
The latest case involves a shop lot located in Larkin Perdana, Johor Baru, which is used to conduct briefings to potential customers and market the Japan-made products.
The shop manager, who declined to be named, said the “Malaysian Malays-only” requirement, written on an A4-sized notice outside the shop, was to make sure only people who could understand Bahasa Melayu could enter the premises.
She said this was to ensure potential customers understood the briefings on the products’ usage.
“As we are dealing with health products, it requires the consumer to fully understand the instruction given to them when we conduct product briefings.
“It is dangerous to the consumers if the products are not used properly.
“The same policy for customers is applied at the company's two other branches in Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, Perak " she said when met at the shop.
The shop manager said the marketing company wants to promote its products specifically to the Malays.
She said the briefing sessions, which were conducted four times a day, were presented by staff using Bahasa Melayu.
When the NST visited the premises, a group of about 40 to 50 customers were seen exiting the front entrance after attending a briefing session conducted by the shop’s staff.
The customers included several senior citizens and elderly couples who were seen carrying free gifts.
The notice outside the shop said: “Attention, pleased be informed that we use Bahasa Melayu in all our briefing activities when conducting our promotions. Only Malaysian citizens who are Malays are allowed to enter. Any inconvenience is regretted. Thank you.”
China Press reported on Wednesday that a 48-year-old man was not allowed into the premises in Larkin Perdana.
When asked about this, the shop manager said that she was disappointed with how one of her staff members handled the customer.
“Even if a customer is not allowed to join the briefings, our staff will normally give a phone number for the customer to get information about our other products or refer them to our headquarters for other promotions,” she said.
Johor Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry director Khairul Anwar Bachok said that the ministry will check whether the shop is abiding by all requirements.
“We can take action if a premises is involved in false advertising such as if it claims to sell halal products when it does not.
“But in this case, we will do the necessary checks first,” he said.