On boycotts and BMF

When you’re in need of blood because of an injury or treatment, you don’t get to ask ‘I want blood from muslims first’. Same goes when you need help from doctors, nurses, police or complete strangers. That’s when you realize how silly this buy muslim first thing is. Most of our fellow countryman was born and grown up in this country. They have called this blessed land home all their lives. They don’t have anywhere else to go to if you ask send to go back to where their great grandparent came from.

Imagine if your family moves to a foreign country, say like Australia. They opened up a business and they worked hard to give you and your family a good life. And then for some reason, the locals there launched a campaign to buy locals or christian first. How would you feel? Not nice isn’t it? Like the wise rapper Tupac Shakur once said: do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you. That’s pretty much how our fellow Malaysians would feel when you do this buy muslim first thing. No matter how good your intention is, discrimination along racial and religious lines will only sow discord, generate hate, mistrust and ill feeling among each other.

Do not let politicians with agendas use you as their tool to achieve their political ambitions. Creating a bogeyman or common enemy especially from outside their race and religion is a tried and tested method to gain political support. These people don’t really care about helping fellow muslims or the unity of the people. They’re just doing whatever it takes to control you and gain political power. Never let yourself become their pawns in achieving their end goal of getting into office.

As for me personally, I don’t really care whether the business I buy from is muslim owned or not. The first thing I always look at is the price and if all is equal, quality and good customer service. Frankly I believe this bmf thing is not sustainable in the long run. Living in a multiracial country, how long before you run out of muslim business to go to every time? How about non-muslim bumiputra business owners, do you boycott them too? Already there’s anecdotal evidence of muslim business owners taking advantage of this uncalled for campaign to raise the price of their products. How messed up is that? Buy muslim first so that the owner can buy a brand new Mercedes? I don’t think so.