Ameer, who owns the Mydin hypermarket chain, said the boycott campaign was “naive and insensitive”. He also raised the possibility of it being politically motivated.

“In principle, Malaysia is a multiracial and multi-religious country, and such campaigns should never be held,” he said after an event here.

However, he said poor Bumiputera companies required assistance in order to turn a profit.

Once they are able to do so, he said, it would help the entire country in terms of supply chain and manufacturing.

Ameer said if Malaysians had a choice between buying a local product and one made by an international company, they should support the one made in Malaysia.

If it was a toss-up between a Malaysian-made product manufactured by a rich Chinese company and one made by a poor Bumiputera company, he added, “we should support the Bumi product”.

“As responsible Malaysians, we should help fellow Malaysians who are at the lower rung of the economy,” he said.

“It’s not about Bumis supporting another Bumi. It’s about helping them climb the ranks.”

The campaign movement began on social media, with the Bumiputera community urged to avoid buying products made by businesses owned by non-Bumiputeras.

The government recently spoke against the boycott, saying efforts to reject products made by non-Muslims are inappropriate and unreasonable.

But PAS and Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin have defended the campaign in support of products made by Muslims, saying it should be seen positively.

They said the campaign is aimed at strengthening the economic power of Muslims and giving them a competitive edge.