Akmal said many people had ridiculed and even insulted Najib, who was the driving force behind the establishment of such grocery stores, in the past.

“Today, many have come to realise that these establishments are the ideal choice for the people in Malaysia.

“Hopefully, the current administration will reintroduce similar outlets, catering exclusively to the needs of Malaysians,” he said in a Facebook post.

The KR1M project was launched in 2011 during Najib’s administration with the purpose of allowing the low-income group to obtain cheaper groceries.

Initially, Mydin had taken part in the government programme, but withdrew its involvement in August 2017.

Its managing director, Ameer Ali Mydin, had said the hypermarket chain suffered losses amounting to RM100 million by taking part in the KR1M project.

He said the government did not subsidise the cost of items but only provided the premises and shelves. All expenses related to shipping items to East Malaysia, operational costs, and incurred losses were borne by Mydin, he said.

Najib later attempted to revamp the project with Tunas Manja Group, but no new stores were opened.