Several business experts have refuted an allegation this week by two Malay groups that shopping malls were discriminating against Bumiputera businesses…[T]he Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia and Malay rights group Perkasa accused major shopping malls of refusing prime space to Malay businesses and called for more lots to be reserved for Malay retailers. The chamber’s secretary-general Hanafee Yusoff said high rentals at these malls made it difficult for Bumiputera traders to compete with international brands. This drew a response from the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (MSMA), which said malls do not have a racial quota policy on the sale or leasing of lots…In its defence, MSMA said retailers were selected based on their financial strength. “We are colour-blind. Discrimination does not come into our vocabulary. This is business, not politics,” said the association's president, H. C. Chan.[Refers to Suria KLCC]