Lim: Allies shamelessly backing Umno, PAS despite non-Muslim boycott

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has taken aim at MCA and MIC over their continued cooperation with Umno and PAS, despite the latter two being linked to a boycott against non-Muslim products.

While Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob has denied that his party and PAS perpetrated the campaign, several leaders, such as Umno supreme council member Mohd Razlan Rafii have backed it.

"Despite such a boycott campaign, it is regrettable is that there are non-Muslim or non-bumiputera political parties like MCA or MIC, who shamelessly debase themselves by continuing their political cooperation with PAS and Umno," Lim said in a statement today.

"So far they have not even dared to raise their objections directly to their political masters in PAS and Umno, displaying the difference between the consensus-driven approach through active engagement and discussion in Pakatan Harapan, and the unilateral diktats of the new coalition under PAS and Umno."

Proponents of the campaign have argued that it is more about supporting Muslim products than boycotting non-Muslim products.

Posts on social media, however, have openly singled out products deemed to be "non-Muslim" and calling for their boycott.

KiniGuide: A closer look at the boycott against non-Muslim products and businesses

Lim, in his statement, criticised Umno and PAS for supporting the campaign.

"Even though one of the pro-opposition NGOs heading the boycott campaign has denied boycotting non-Muslim or non-bumiputera products and services, PAS and Umno national leaders continue to lend support to this divisive and destructive campaign.

"That such a boycott campaign will deprive consumers of certain products and services or cause consumers to lose out in terms of better pricing and quality, is ignored or sacrificed to promote a new racist and religious extremist ideology," he said.

Lim, the finance minister, also conceded that the government was slow in responding to the boycott campaign.

"The National Patriots Association (Patriot) is correct that the Harapan federal government did not come out early to oppose the campaign to boycott non-Muslim and non-bumiputera products and services that was undertaken by several opposition-leaning NGOs.

"Only after the boycott campaign was openly and publicly supported by top Umno and PAS leaders and gained public traction by playing up racial and extremist religious sensitivities, then did the Harapan federal government see the potential danger to national unity, diversity and religious harmony," he said.