Pas Youth Slams Tycoon S Lack Of Empathy To Continue Starbucks Boycott

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PAS Youth is up in arms over Berjaya Group founder Vincent Tan's recent comments regarding the potential end of the boycott on Starbucks Coffee following the ceasefire in Gaza.
Vowing that the boycott would continue until Palestine is free, the wing’s chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden accused the business tycoon of demonstrating “complete lack of empathy towards the Muslims in Gaza who have been massacred by Israel for nearly 500 days”.
“Although a ceasefire agreement has been signed, there is no guarantee it will hold, based on Israel's previous track record of violating agreements.
“Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel has the right to launch attacks on Gaza once the ceasefire ends,” he added in a statement.
Not one-off
Therefore, Afnan (above, left) said the solidarity boycott is not a "one-off" action but rather an ongoing effort to cripple any pro-Israel companies that provide economic benefits to Israel, enabling them to continue their crimes.
“PAS Youth strongly rejects this statement (by Tan) and calls upon all Malaysians to continue the boycott efforts as part of the struggle to free Palestine from the grip of the cursed Zionists,” he added.
Speaking to reporters on Jan 18, Tan referenced the ceasefire in questioning the need to continue the Starbucks Coffee boycott.
“What is the need to continue boycotting Starbucks? There is no need to do so,” he said.
Eight days earlier, Tan said sales witnessed an uptick, which he attributed to Malaysians being realistic about Starbucks Malaysia.
He said Malaysians are aware that there are no links between Starbucks Malaysia and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“People are becoming more realistic. We can’t do anything about what Israel is doing, or what’s happening in Gaza.
ADS“People are realising (that Starbucks Malaysia) is not hurting anyone. If you boycott Starbucks, how does it affect Israel? The US will send more money to them,” he added.
Previously, it was denied that more than 100 Starbucks outlets in Malaysia had shut down.
In August 2023, the company reportedly closed three Starbucks outlets permanently and temporarily suspended operations at 25 underperforming stores due to the boycott.
Following news of the ceasefire, the pro-Palestine group Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia said it would continue with the boycott. - Mkini

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