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The morality
of consumer
boycotts
THE Gaza massacre and war in South Africa.
crimes by Israel against children, History is dotted with many
women and civilians have entered stories of how consumer power
the 17th day. It is ethnic cleansing can be used to bring social justice
against a captured people says to victims of harmful political and
Clare Short, a British Member corporate actions.
of Parliament. It is genocide as Consumption is a moral,
the world watches a binding economic and political act. Moral
UN resolution being violated by issues have remained “at the core
Israel as it intensifies its war on of any articulation of the rights and
the Palestinians. But the people of duties associated with consump-
Gaza remain steadfast and defiant tion”, point out Martin Daunton
against Israeli aggression for the and Mathew Hilton in their book
liberation of all Palestinians. The Politics of Consumption.
While governments are pur- The consumer movement has
suing diplomatic channels for a stressed in the last 30 years that
ceasefire on the war on Gaza, civil consumption must be based on
society is using multiple strategies value for people, value for the
to end this barbaric and cruel in- environment and value for money.
fliction on innocent children and The government has adopted
civilians. Last weekend saw world- these principles in its consumer
wide protests against the Israeli campaigns since it observed World
war on Gaza. Consumer Rights Day in 1993.
In the Washington protest on Many of the civil and political
Jan 10, the keynote speaker was rights achieved by Americans
Ralph Nader, the most well-known have been through organised
consumer advocate of the 20th consumer boycotts of products
century. and services. There was a move
Among the strategies proposed to boycott sugar in the 1790s in
by civil society to stop the disap- protest against slave trade. Afri-
pearance of Palestine and the can Americans mobilised black
shocking and brutal injuries to consumers in “Don’t shop where
children and civilians are consumer you can’t work” campaigns as a
boycotts of Israeli and American protest against job-discrimination
products. The war on Gaza is only by white store owners.
possible with the sanction of the More recently, consumer boy-
United States which abstained cotts have been organised against
during the vote on the recent UN corporations for their unethical
resolution for ceasefire. The US conduct particularly marketing
provides US$3 billion (RM10.7 bil- strategies, employee conditions
lion) in aid and weapons to Israel. and environmental destruction.
The Muslim Consumers As- Such campaigns have resulted in
sociation of Malaysia has initiated improving business ethics.
a boycott of American products. A consumer boycott of Israeli
Canadian author Naomi Klein has products is a non-violent tool to
resurrected the Boycott, divest- bring justice and peace for the
ment and sanctions against Israel Palestinians.
campaign of 2005 by a coalition of
Palestinian groups. This is similar Josie M. Fernandez
to the campaign against apartheid Kuala Lumpur