Cabinet has ordered Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to issue an official clarification on his recent call for Malay consumers to boycott Chinese traders.

This is according to Transport Minister and MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, who last week vowed to fight for justice for the maligned Chinese community.

According to a statement written in Chinese on his Facebook page, Liow said he had informed cabinet of the party's position on the controversy and the party's demand that Ismail Sabri retract his statement.

"We also asked that cabinet put (our demands) on record," said Liow.

Liow (left) said he had "clearly" informed cabinet that Ismail Sabri's statement had caused deep-seated dissatisfaction among the Chinese community.

"We have urged Cabinet to swiftly resolve this issue to prevent it from festering," he said.

Later this evening, Ismail Sabri confirmed the instruction.

"Ya, saya akan perjelaskan... tunggulah penjelasannya (Yes, I will explain. Wait for the explanation)," he said in a text message to Malaysiakini.

Ismail: I'll sit down with Liow and end this

Met at an event in Petaling Jaya later, he said he will sit down with Liow on the issue before Chinese New Year which falls on Feb 19.

"The prime minister and the cabinet especially believe that this polemcs between MCA and this issue should be put to and end because it does not benefit BN.

"It is not good for BN unity and the PM wants this case to be closed," he told reporters.

He said he will with Liow to draft a joint statement and release it soon.

"The Anwar Ibrahim case is the focus now so if we release a statement now, the newspapers won't carry it. There will be no point," he said.

"I hope we can do this before Chinese New Year so we can all celebrate with an open heart."

Last Monday, Ismail Sabri's Facebook comment urging Malays to boycott Chinese businesses, went viral and drew flak from BN colleagues in MCA, Gerakan and MIC.

Following this, MCA consistently held that Ismail Sabri should apologise and retract the remark, despite the Prime Minister's Office stating after last week’s cabinet meeting that the inflammatory comments were not aimed at any ethnic group.

Additional reporting by Zulaikha Zulkifli