99 Speedmart Responds to Backlash Over ‘For Malay Only’ Sign Placed at Rice Section

A well-known convenience store in Malaysia is catching heat after a sign at one of its branches sparked controversy.

According to China Press, a customer took a photo of the sign at a 99 Speedmart outlet, which claimed that local rice was only for the Malay community. The sign was placed right above bags of rice, stirring up backlash online.

For illustration purposes only

“Local rice is only available to Malays”

The customer later posted the photo on Xiaohongshu and also sent it to 99 Speedmart to ask for an explanation, according to MS News.

After the backlash, 99 Speedmart quickly responded, saying they never put up the sign and believe someone might have maliciously vandalised the branch.

China Press also reported that a netizen who claimed to be a 99 Speedmart employee commented on the viral post, saying the sign was actually a mistake made by a staff member at the branch.

According to the said employee, the sign was supposed to say that local white rice is only for Malaysians, but the word “Malay” was accidentally used instead.

“We will carry out inspections at all our branches”

99 Speedmart explained that, based on guidelines from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, local white rice can only be sold to Malaysian citizens, with a limit of 2 packs per customer.

They also assured that they’ll be checking all their branches to make sure nothing like this happens elsewhere.

“We’ll be filing a police report as a precaution. If anyone has any information about this, please let us know so we can investigate further,” they said in a statement.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments!

Also read: 99 Speedmart Founder Lee Thiam Wah Named 7th Richest in Malaysia with a Net Worth of RM17.6 Billion