IT HAS been just over a year since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In that time, Malaysians have been very vocal in condemning the atrocities committed against Palestinians.
Putrajaya has strongly urged a cease to hostilities by Israel while demanding greater international pressure be applied to the Jewish state.
Local consumers have also taken matters into their own hands by boycotting brands perceived to be pro-Israel.
However, the effectiveness of this move has been questioned with DAP member and influencer Thaqib Shaker stating on TikTok (@thaqibshaker) that the boycott has not had the desired impact on Tel Aviv.
Ni betul siap makan mekdi ni. Betul ke dia ni cakap? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MNK4NmnyOF
— amighul deghaman (@ricxxxkiddo) October 6, 2024
He noted that while the boycott has been going on domestically for some time, it has not in any way deterred Israel from committing further atrocities.
The recent bombardment in Lebanon is highlighted as evidence that the local boycott has not worked. In fact, Thaqib contended that the only people suffering from this boycott are the employees of fast-food outlets which include McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks.
To underline his point, Thaqib is pictured in the clip with a McD meal, urging others to stop the boycotts as not to affect the rice bowls of those mainly Malay-Muslim employees.
One netizen agreed, contending that she was hammered previously for stating such an opinion while another said that only the knowledgeable were able to come to such a conclusion.
The contentious nature of this issue is reflected with the many comments disagreeing with the poster.
One commenter pointed out the hypocrisy of the boycott movement as many local consumers were still happy to use/support other pro-Israel brands such as Facebook.
Another said big businesses were not affected by this boycott and would continue to flow funds to the Jewish state.
Highlighting that this boycott remains a highly divisive issue, Thaqib’s video which was widely shared on social media has elicited opinions from both sides of the fence.
Finfluencer Syahir (@syahirsyhr) stated on the X platfoirm that while he did not adhere to the boycott, he admired Malaysians’ displaying their solidarity with Palestinians.
aku tak boikot. aku makan McD, KFC bila aku rasa nak makan, Starbucks aku stop minum sebab banyak options lain. aku juga percaya kesan boikot yang rakyat Malaysia buat tak bagi kesan apa-apa kepada Israel, tapi aku hormat solidariti rakyat Malaysia yang boikot.
in a way betul… https://t.co/e2mjsUeJmZ
— Syahir (@syahirsyhr) October 7, 2024
He further observed that a few notable food & beverage (F&B) franchises had posted big losses due to the boycott.
However, he disagrees with Thaqib’s observation about local employees suffering greatly. He justified that that the F&B industry has a notoriously high turnover rate.
He therefore reckoned that Thaqib’s observations are not backed by ample data given that unemployment rate has actually fallen during the corresponding period.
One netizen questioned why Thaqib was singling out Malaysia for the boycott efforts when it is a worldwide movement. To be fair, Thaqib did say in it was different in “developed nations” where employment opportunities were abundant.
One commenter disagreed with Syahir saying the job market is currently a tough place. She said social media was full of netizens’ laments of being out of work.
While the debate rages on, the different opinions underline the very divisive nature of the issue. Some argued that the impact was minimal as these brands still were minting it while others state it was a moral obligation of Malaysians to continue with the boycott.
All said and done, this should be a matter of choice. There should be no coercion or pressure to conform one way or another. – Oct 14, 2024
