PETALING JAYA – While the call to boycott brands with alleged ties to Israel has received support here as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians, a large number of Malaysians are left in despair and fear of losing their livelihoods.
A chat with several employees from McDonald’s outlets, which were the worst affected by the boycott, revealed that a large number of employees are now in fear of losing their livelihoods.
Also impacted are hearing-impaired McDonald’s workers Iswan and Fati, who said in sign language that they are praying for the boycott to end soon.
“Very few employers are willing to accept those with disabilities like us and we are grateful to McDonald’s for giving us this opportunity.
“While we support the cause (for Palestine), what about our families?” they asked.
McDonald’s Malaysia not supporting Israel
A McDonald’s branch manager who identified himself as Ridzwan pointed out that there are over 21,000 employees working in the food chain’s outlets nationwide, and the majority of them are Muslims.
“Why are we being punished? Some have labelled us as supporters of the Jews and many of my colleagues have been subjected to severe mental pressure.
“Some of our staff who return home after work in public transport have been verbally abused as they are wearing the McDonald’s uniform.
“This is ridiculous and unfortunately not their first time either. I have been with McDonald’s for over 20 years and each time there is a conflict between Palestine and Israel, McDonald’s will be dragged in,” he said.
His colleague, Zubaidah, said a number of staff members are now suffering from depression as they are worried about their families and commitments.
“Why can’t people understand that we have nothing to do with the conflict? We are just a business entity and we are not taking any sides.
“People must understand that McDonald’s Malaysia is in no way supporting Israel or any other country. In fact, McDonald’s Malaysia just donated RM1 million to the Palestinian Humanitarian Fund.
“Please stop this nonsense. What is the point of supporting Palestine when Muslims here in your own country are suffering and at risk of losing their jobs,” she said.
Boycott causing Malaysian Muslims to suffer
A barista at a Starbucks outlet in Petaling Jaya and a Grab Food delivery rider shared similar sentiments.
Damien, who has been with Starbucks for more than 10 years, said his staff were equally impacted by the boycott while business has dropped from about RM25,000 daily to less than RM10,000.
“To be honest, a majority of our staff are Muslims, and they are the ones most impacted.
“A number are very young and working part-time to fund their education. They come from poor families and are working here to make ends meet while they study.
“Over the last few days, some of them have broken down and are absolutely depressed over the whole thing.
“Why are Malaysians being so blind to this? This has nothing to do with us... we need to eat and so do our families,” he said.
Razak, a Grab Food rider, said his income has dropped by almost half since orders to several fast food outlets, mainly McDonald’s, have dropped.
“I don’t understand why my family has to suffer over what is going on in Israel-Palestine. What wrong did my little children do?
“The best form of assistance would be to donate what we can and to spend time in prayer. This boycott is harming a large number of Malaysians,” he added. – The Vibes, November 8, 2023
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