Non-Muslim goods boycott a ‘ticking time bomb’ for Malaysia
- On social media groups, Malay-Muslims have been urged to avoid buying goods, including halal products, sold by non-Muslims
- PM Mahathir has advised against the boycott, while a member of a royal family has rebuked purveyors of hate speech, calling their acts a ‘ticking time bomb’
Published: 12:30pm, 8 Sep, 2019
Updated: 10:40am, 9 Sep, 2019
A movement calling for Malays to boycott non-Muslim products has emerged in
Malaysia, where a campaign of fake news and political rhetoric continues to stoke racial and
religious tensions, prompting a member of the Perak state’s royal family to describe the situation as a “ticking time bomb”.
Messages urging the country’s Malay-Muslim majority to boycott goods produced by non-Muslims, even those that are halal, have been actively shared on Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups. Names of mini-markets perceived to be owned by non-Muslims are also listed as places to be avoided.
The
halal food and beverage industry that caters to Muslims in Malaysia is estimated to be worth 50 billion to 55 billion ringgit (US$12 billion to US$13.2 billion) for this year.
Yeah Kim Leng, an economics professor at Sunway University, pointed out that if people heeded the boycott calls, the halal sector – which covers food and beverage, cosmetics and health care products – which non-Muslim businesses also serve, could be badly hit.
In Malaysia, hopes for racial unity. The reality? Growing division
The boycott is yet another instance of racial and religious tensions that have plagued the ruling
Pakatan Harapan coalition since its watershed victory last May, when it unseated Barisan Nasional from its 61-year rule.
Barisan Nasional’s largest and most powerful party, the United Malays National Organisation
(Umno), is now in opposition for the first time since it was formed.
Umno has teamed up with the Islamic Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) to take on
Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan alliance of Malay, nationalist, Islamic and Chinese-based parties.
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This transformation of Malaysia’s political landscape has been marked by a push to exploit ethnic and religious differences for electoral gain.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: AFP
Last week, Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad advised Malaysians against taking part in any boycott. “A boycott is an ineffective weapon, [it will only] create anger. Do not boycott anybody, Bumiputra or non-Bumiputra,” he said, referring to ethnic Malays and indigenous people in Malaysia.
Getting angry with other people will not solve our problems
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
On Friday, Mahathir in a blog post wrote that
getting angry with people of other races – whom he said had come a long way to be successful since the days of toiling in tin mines and rubber estates under British rule – would not help the country’s majority race. “Malays should be aware of what is happening to them. Unfortunately, they are not. They still refuse to work. Malays are willing to hand over jobs to foreigners and foreigners flood our country. Seven million foreigners are here today. They are working,” he wrote.
“Our fate is in our own hands. Getting angry with other people will not solve our problems. Our numbers are said to have increased. But the majority of the poor cannot compete with the rich minority.”
Mahathir tells Malay-Muslims to ‘work harder’
In the working-class section of Ampang district in Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese Malaysian business owner told
This Week in Asia that he had not been affected, as he chatted warmly with his Malay customers, who were buying cans of paint, brushes, brooms and other household items.
“This boycott has no impact on my shop. I have Malay customers and they still come here. This is just some political nonsense,” said the owner, who declined to be named.
Muslim cleric Ahmad Awang said he believed issues of race and religion would continue to be played up.
Malaysia’s racial and religious tensions rage on, fuelled by politics
“This is dangerous,” said Ahmad, who is also an adviser with the progressive Islamic Amanah party, which is part of the ruling coalition.
“The opposition we have now in Malaysia is very different from the … Barisan Nasional/Umno government, which was a coalition of diverse parties.
“By teaming up with PAS, Umno has signalled it is leaving its Barisan Nasional coalition partners like the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) to become more ultra-Malay.”
Two men stand in front of a wall of pictures of former Malaysian leaders. Photo: AFP
Controversial preacher apologises to Malaysians over race remarks
Faizal said racial tensions were placing Malaysia in an “alarming” position.
“It stops us from doing real things like [achieving] progress and reform. It is a distraction. All distractions, including racism and sectarianism, must be looked at seriously,” he said.
Cleric Ahmad is worried that race and religious issues will affect the government’s ability to accomplish its day job, including fixing the economy.
“When the next election comes, [the opposition] will then say the government did not do much in the past five years,” Ahmad said.
The halal sector … could potentially be hit by a demand shock if the boycott were to take a foothold
Yeah Kim Leng, professor
Economics professor Yeah agreed that issues like the boycott calls were detracting from the government’s urgent task of supporting the domestic economy, which was being affected by “external headwinds”.
“In particular, the escalating
US-China trade dispute and increasing threat of a no-deal Brexit are having a deleterious effects on global demand and trade,” Yeah said.
“Trade-dependent Malaysia will have to find internal sources of growth to offset the external slowdown. Hence, facing another negative force like the selective boycott of businesses will make it harder for the local economy to offset the fall in external demand.”
Sultan Nazrin Shah, pictured in 2005. File photo: AFP
Malaysian queen discusses Chinese roots and lending money to Robert Kuok
Malaysia has nine royal households, each led by a sultan, who take turns to rule as king through a vote in a Council of Rulers. The constitutional monarchy assumes a largely ceremonial role, including acting as the custodian of Islam.
Sultan Nazrin called on leaders and politicians to use the voice of moderation, reason and brotherhood to allow people of different racial groups in Malaysia to live in harmony.
“Is getting political support worth acting in such a way?” he asked. “What satisfaction can they get when the blood of the people is spilled, bodies are piled up, buildings are razed and vehicles are burned?” ■
