KUALA LUMPUR | Those who boycott products made by non-Muslims and buy only from their own race or religion are not only divisive but can cause workers, including their own kind, to lose jobs if businesses are affected or if they go bust, cautions the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
Its executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said in consuming halal products, Muslims could consume them regardless of whether the product was produced by a company owned by a Muslim or non-Muslim, as long as it is certified halal by the authorities.
“There is no reason why Muslims should not buy certified halal products because the issue is the ‘halalness’ of the product, ” he said.
Shamsuddin said this in response to the concern of some groups advocating Muslims to buy only from Muslims as well as those pushing for a boycott of non-Muslim products.
“If the products cannot be sold in the open market, the companies may end up laying off staff and many Muslims or Malays will be affected too.
“This can affect the economy as a whole, ” he said.
Shamsuddin said that it was commendable that Malaysians were trying to promote Malaysian-made products as this would help develop local industries.
“As long as they don’t promote them based on a certain race and religion because Malaysia is a multicultural country, ” he said.
Asked if the boycott would affect Malaysian-made products, Shamsuddin said it should not as there was still the international market, and as long as the manufacturers adhered to international standards and practices, there would still be a demand.
