PAS has voiced support for a “buy Muslim products first” campaign purportedly aimed at strengthening the Islamic economy. Although the party denies it, the campaign’s spirit appears to be to teach non-Muslims a lesson – presumably one in subservience.

This drawing of lines between Malay-Muslims and “the rest” is consistent with the strategy employed by PAS and Umno since Barisan Nasional lost the elections last year. Conveniently, these parties have chosen to ignore their own failures. One has ruled Kelantan since 1990, while the other is the lynchpin of a coalition that held federal power for 60 years. In all that time, neither saw the need to strengthen the Islamic economy beyond campaign slogans and electoral bravado.

The closest that civil groups linked to the former administration came to realising this goal was the Mara Digital Mall, also known as “Low Yat 2”, which showed us the danger and folly of consumerism powered solely by racial sentiments. That resulted in a near-riot, and a mostly failed economic venture.

A boycott doesn’t harm business owners as much as it does vendors, service providers and employees. The owners are usually well-off and can embark on another venture should they be forced to close up shop. This leaves the employees – who are not necessarily from the same community as the owners – to fend for themselves. The impact may end up hurting the very community that the boycott had set out to empower. It does not bode well for race relations, either.

While this sort of “official” race- or religion-based campaign is easy to frown on, we must also take a good hard look at our own purchasing habits, biases, and misplaced or unexamined assumptions.

For example, do we shun Mydin and opt for 99 Speedmart based on their ownership? Do we avoid Petronas because it’s “owned by the government”? Do we promote products depending on the race of those who develop, own and sell them? How do we decide our bank of choice? Or our mechanic?

If all this doesn’t sound familiar, well, remember a campaign not too long ago to “buy Massimo first”?

Just because we don’t proclaim it on a banner, it doesn’t mean the effect is much different. And, the reaction shouldn’t be entirely unexpected.

In the larger scheme of things, a boycott not only affects people’s livelihood, but also our reputation abroad. Imagine foreigners reading about Malaysians imposing an economic “sanction” on… other Malaysians.

In today’s interconnected, intertwined global trading community, logistic strategies involve locating the cheapest materials and building business relations. If we cannot sort out our own differences, how are we to form an effective trade bloc that gets to secure major international deals?

Malaysia’s many communities make for a strength and competitive advantage over other nations. We have a microcosm of Asia in one location, an ideal test market for products aimed at people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. This opens up opportunities not only for local companies, but also foreign ones looking to conduct market research or set up distribution hubs. If the Malaysian market is seen to be mono-religious, our advantage could dissipate.

Much of trade these days is also dependent on government-to-government reciprocity. There are many Chinese and European goods that meet halal requirements, but are produced by non-Muslims. If they perceive there to be a hindrance to marketing their products here, the flow of currency between entities, and by extension, countries, may be affected. Collaboration in other areas, too, could suffer.

The propaganda value and buzz created by race- or religion-based boycotts may translate into political mileage, but at a significant cost that has perhaps not been considered. – September 4, 2019.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.