BOYCOTT of brands perceived to be pro-Israel has complicated many matters. Latest to draw public ire was the naming of Starbucks Malaysia as strategic partner for the much-touted Visit Malaysia 2026 (VMY2026) campaign.
As a global brand with local roots, Starbucks Malaysia is uniquely positioned to connect global audiences with authentic local experiences.
Henceforth, the campaign marks a milestone for both brands in their shared mission to spotlight Malaysia’s unique stories – from flavours to community spirit.
Nevertheless, detractors of the global premium coffee chain find the involvement of Starbucks Malaysia in VMY2026 ‘atrocious’ in light of the anti-Zionist sentiment which is gaining momentum especially following recent detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers by Israel Défense Forces (IDF).
“Whose idea was this?” fumed self-proclaimed Moderate liberal nationalist Shahnon Saleh (@shahnonsalleh) whose post on X has amassed 1.6M views at time of writing “So tone-deaf. Unbelievable.”
Why do we need a strategic partnership with Starbucks to promote Visit Malaysia 2026?? Whose idea was this?
So tone-deaf. Unbelievable.
(Pic: The Sun) pic.twitter.com/o0MhmdSatQ
— Shahnon Salleh (@shahnonsalleh) October 2, 2025
An easy target was obviously to blame Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing for his insensitivity in approving Starbucks Malaysia as VMY2026’s strategic partner.
“Starbucks donates millions of dollars to the Palestinian genocide campaign,” erroneously claimed one anti-Israeli commenter.
After all, another pro-Palestinian commenter pointed to better options in “@ZUSCoffee which is a local store that is expanding across neighbouring countries”; “Boh Tea, a local tea brand that is known internationally”; or even “@SpritzerWater which is also another great local brand”.
“But sure, being a complicit is easier. Be better @TourismMalaysia, @tiongkingsing,” she chided.
Sone even blamed tycoon and Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun whose Berjaya Food Bhd is the Starbucks franchise owner in Malayasia as desperate to mend broken fences.
On the other hand, there were plenty of commenters who took the opposite view, arguing that emotions should be cast aside for the sake of business realities in that such a campaign would benefit from global brands being involved.
A physician by profession even called for cool heads to prevail as he sought assistance from X’s AI-powered charbot @Grok to verify the identities of VMY2026’s other strategic partners apart from Starbucks.
“From recent announcements, other partners for VMY2026 include Malaysia Airlines (with domestic tourism boards), HONOR (for photography campaigns), Scoot airline, Agoda and Mastercard. More collaborations may be revealed as the campaign builds up.”
This highlights just what a tricky proposition this whole affair is. Where do Malaysians draw the line? There are no easy answers to a very complex situation.
For sure, debate the merits of Starbuck Malaysia’s sponsorship of the campaign but let it be free of blind racism and unsubstantiated accusations of Zionism. – Oct 7, 2025
Main image credit: The Stoly/Facebook
