YOURSAY | Trying to stay relevant with populist cause

YOURSAY | ‘Boycotts in Malaysia are like cutting the nose to spite the face.’

COMMENT | Boycotts and MAHB: Black money, bad privatization

RedGopher0486: Former Batu MP Chua Tian Chang, popularly known as Tian Chua, is just picking on the populist subject to seek relevance and limelight.  

The support for humanity argument simply doesn’t hold water as millions are dying in Yemen, Kurdistan, and Myanmar, while millions are oppressed in China.

Chua, you are hyped up on the Palestinian issue.

This is hypocrisy at best. Are the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians, especially the folks in Gaza, more valuable compared to the many more millions around the world facing even worse conditions?  

Decades ago, an Arab friend at university told me that Muslim leaders around the world don’t want this Palestinian problem solved as it’s a precious commodity for their political survival and standing.

On the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) issue, you are spot on.  

Furthermore, the premium offered is very low. So what is the value it brings to MAHB?  

Overall, this deal could plunge MAHB into deeper debt, and Khazanah and EPF depositors would be worse off. It’s as if the whole deal was struck at very fancy restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, and New York.

Chua, argue your case against Global Infrastructure Partners in a business and economic context instead of the 1400-year-old geopolitical issue of the Middle East. 

Man on the Silver Mountain: As with Boycott, Divest, Sanction Malaysia’s (BDS Malaysia) rationale for the boycott earlier on, Chua’s article is flawed with inaccuracies.

It tries to appeal to our emotions without being realistic and logical. 

His point is that the boycott is a struggle against the illegal occupation of Palestine. 

However, this point is not conclusive.

Even the definition of occupied Palestine is wrought with inaccuracies and distortion because Palestine was never a country.

Suffice to say, if the issue could be defined and agreed upon, the war would not have dragged on until today, the longest in history.

Chua also used the word genocide, which even the ICJ (International Court of Justice) did not rule as such.

So, the argument on both counts is extremely weak.

Secondly, because of the boycott, our people lost their livelihoods as a result. Sure, a boycott entails sacrifices, but was it worth it?

Many Malaysians feel it is not worth it. It is an exercise in futility, not to mention the hypocrisy at home.

Quigonbond: Chua is getting rusty.  I have a few points to make. 

Firstly, boycotting Blackrock is a moral imperative, but what about Blackrock’s investments in other Israel-friendly businesses?

Do you think Israel does not use Google and Intel in their war machines/warmongering systems at all? Where do you draw the line?

I don’t know the specificity of Blackrock’s joint venture with Khazanah but corporate deals take years to create.

You don’t walk away from a deal because of some unclear boycott parameters.

As to the merits of the deal, it is worrying that a minority stake is owned by foreign interests but what value does Blackrock bring besides money?

Money will be wasted anyway without a change in effective management. Will they send in their international turnaround experts?

Nobody knows enough to make a useful comment, so instead of criticising and saying it’s a moral issue, I suggest focusing on learning more about the deal first.

Secondly, why would you think the concern about B40 Malaysians losing jobs at outlets facing boycotts is “condescending”?

KFC closed how many outlets, and that was why BDS Malaysia finally corrected itself to say KFC is not on the list of companies to boycott. However, the damage is already done.

Thirdly, using South Africa and Myanmar as examples is not applicable. That's aimed at removing an internal regime. What’s the aim of boycotting Israel?

Our larger population is irrelevant because we're not even importing stuff from Israel, so how does our boycott even hurt them?

You may hurt the Israeli sympathisers and investors a bit, but it won’t change what the Zionist regime is doing. No one is saying genocide is tolerable.

But how you go about making a difference needs to be strategic and effective.

Why don’t you argue with numbers, statistics and, in terms of international relations, how that has been effective so that those who lost their jobs at least feel that their losses are not in vain?

Apanama is back: Chua’s comparison of the current boycott with the mass boycotts initiated by Mahatma Gandhi against British goods is ignorant.

Chua, I believe a significant difference exists between the independence movements led by figures like Mahatma Gandhi and the current boycott.

Unfortunately, this has led to job losses, particularly among the Malays.  

This problem arises when one attempts to distort history to mask one’s ignorance.

GreenImpala: I look forward to Chua and all who believe in boycotting KLIA when the deal goes through. I think the issue is that people are so hypocritical.

You say boycott but the last time I checked, Malaysia Airlines still flies to Myanmar, benefitting the military junta which Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi is against.  

You say let’s welcome Palestinian refugees but what about Rohingya refugees?

How have we treated them? Just visit an IDC and you will find your answer. Can we realistically boycott everything?

Existential Turd: Boycotts in Malaysia are like cutting the nose to spite the face. At best, it is like a hunger strike.

This would have been a better article if the first half had been omitted. The second half of the article on MAHB is more substantial.

BlueShark1548: Chua, we understand your need to be relevant when you have been cast aside from mainstream politics.

However, no one is going to pay attention to you. Best to talk about local issues than Israel.

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