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Patriot slams Putrajaya over handling of calls to boycott non-Muslim made products

Patriot president Arshad Raji says not enough is being done to ‘stem the nonsense’ of the boycott campaign.

PETALING JAYA: The National Patriots Association (Patriot) today hit out at the government’s handling of a movement pushing for a boycott of non-Muslim made products in the country, saying it “has not done enough to stem the nonsense”.

Patriot president Arshad Raji said the Cabinet seems to be waiting for the prime minister’s cue to act.

“It is either they do not have a mind of their own or are unprincipled enough,” he said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Putrajaya agreed that a call to boycott products produced by non-Muslims was unreasonable and could affect harmony in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the Cabinet rejected such narrow views based on racial sentiments and urged Malaysians to support locally produced goods for the country’s benefit.

Wan Azizah’s statement came days after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had called for an end to the boycott campaign as it could only trigger anger among other quarters, besides being an ineffective measure.

He criticised the “shallow-minded people” behind the campaign.

The campaign movement began on social media, with the Bumiputera community urged to avoid buying products made by businesses owned by non-Bumiputeras.

Malaysiakini also reported that a number of NGOs had called for a boycott of halal products made by non-Muslims.

But Arshad said the campaign calling for a products boycott is bound to fail and its repercussions will be disastrous.

“Such a call is nonsensical, irrational, idiotic, disruptive, and threatens to hinder progress economically,” he said, and urged those behind it to stop immediately.