Siti Kasim shoots down call for Bumiputera consumers to exclusively back Malay-owned biz

 

SOCIAL activist and human rights lawyer Siti Kasim has lashed out at calls for Malay consumers to ride the momentum of the current boycott wave by permanently shifting their buying habits towards Malay-owned businesses.

She was responding to a post on Ratu Naga’s Facebook page urging Malay consumers to seize the moment by supporting Malay-owned grocers and supermarkets.

As the opposition-slant digital creator whose real name is Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah has stated in her post, such a move was not a crime but an opportunity to “invigorate” the community’s economic fortunes. This call has been met with plenty of support from like-minded folk:

But Siti Kasim thought that calling for a blanket support is a misplaced notion, urging instead for Malay-owned businesses to compete based on pertinent factors such as quality and value-for-money of the services and products on offer rather than focusing on the vendor’s ethnicity.

This is what netizens have to say:

More than a few echoed the legal eagle’s sentiment that quality and value-for-money should be the determining factors.

Many questioned the sheer hypocrisy of such a move, contending that these boycotters would only do what suited their agendas.

Some asked if it was then reasonable for the tables to be turned.

It was also pointed out by a few that this BMF (Buy Malay First) ploys were just a political ruse that will go nowhere. Another backed this up with an article that recalled the failed Malay-version of a Low Yat Plaza tech and handphone hub, highlighting how such manoeuvres have the odds stacked against them.

One netizen highlighted that it easier said than done given that the supply chain “is controlled by other groups”.

Another netizen very pointedly asked if this is feasible given the economic standing of the community, especially those in B40 segment and those stuck in low-paying jobs such as teachers. The commentator also claims that T20 Malays spend their money abroad.

Of course, there were those who voiced their concern about how such a move would affect Bumiputera staff at these non-Malay owned businesses.

The laws of supply-and-demand would ultimately prevail, claimed one commentator who also quite rightly pointed out that consumers are free to choose where they shop.

One netizen summed up the situation quite neatly by sharing a poll on “most racist nations”. Malaysia’s #2 ranking certainly speaks volumes… – March 31, 2024

Main image credit: Berita PUTRA

-Focus Malaysia