He said Malaysians by right should be celebrating diversity and taking advantage of its strengths and benefits, especially with regards to the economy.

“Respect and trust for one another is the key to a nation’s economic prosperity.

“It is this trait of supporting one another that has driven the country’s economic activities and helped it prosper,” he told reporters at the launch of a sales carnival here today.

There is a campaign on social media to boycott goods produced by non-Bumiputeras and to buy Bumiputera-made products instead.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he did not agree with the movement’s call, saying it was only carried out by people with shallow thinking.

Saifuddin said he has not received any feedback on whether the campaign has had any effect.

“There has been no feedback on whether it has been successful or not. In fact, at our meetings with wholesaler and retailer associations, everything was as usual, nothing on this was raised,” he said.

On a separate matter, Saifuddin said the working paper on the fuel subsidy scheme for lower income households was ready to be presented to the Cabinet.

“This is a new programme, so we need the input of all the ministers,” he said.