KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 ― Assailed by certain Malay-Muslim groups who see it as a tool of Israeli dominance, McDonald’s Malaysia said its detractors are out to discredit it in any way possible, including perpetrating claims it marginalises local employees and businesses.
The local office of the global fast food chain has maintained that it has no link with Israel but said despite its explanations, unverified and inaccurate allegations against it have continued for the past month as its critics -- keen to display support of Palestine -- test out various forms of attack to shutter the business.
“This is another classic example of mistruth going out there, twisted truth. We'll leave it to the public to figure that out,” McDonald’s Malaysia’s managing director Stephen Chew told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.
“At the end of the day, they're just looking for a different angle of getting to an issue that to them they feel very passionate about.”
Earlier this month, the Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) warned the burger giant against using ethnic Malay staff and franchise owners as “human shields” to deflect criticism from anti-Israeli boycott campaigns.
The Malay lobby group accused the local operator of the popular American fast food chain of being hypocritical with its stance of “supporting its workers”, alleging that very little of its profits are passed down to its workers.
In response, Chew said the claim by MTEM CEO Nizam Mahsha, that only 6 per cent of McDonald’s Malaysia’s sales is returned to the local workers, was “simplistic”.
He pointed out that most of the money went into covering its operation cost.
“Every year we put back just short of RM200 million in investment in the country, to build and remodel our restaurants, invest in new equipments. All this goes back to the market here in Malaysia,” Chew said.
“You can be rest assured that the bulk of the money generated is really to help economy in Malaysia,” he said, adding that the company channelled part of its profits into its charity arm, Ronald McDonald House Charities Malaysia.
Chew also said that while only 25 per cent of the local franchises are currently owned by Malaysians, the company is on a “fast expansion mode” to double the figure within the next six years.
“Even before the boycott, we have started that. One of our objectives is to give more equities to the locals in franchising our restaurants. That has always been in the plan,” piped in Wan Mohd Zam Wan Embong, chairman of McD’s Internal Halal Committee and a board member.
McDonald’s Malaysia also slammed the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) which suggested its workers to resign to protest their employers’ alleged links to Israel, calling it “baseless and defamatory”.
The consumer group’s president Datuk Nadzim Johan had claimed that the fast food joint’s workers who were reluctant to quit their jobs were only putting up “excuses” in their support for the Palestinians.
“The fact that we still have the majority of our staff is staying with us. The fact that they’re still so committed to come to work regardless of all the [harassment] cases. People are still loving the brand. Doesn’t it tell you something?” asked Chew.
“We believe there are sensible Malaysians out there. Hopefully they can judge for themselves how much this has crossed the line. When will these allegations stop? It’s one after the other,” he added.
Malaysians have taken part in boycotts after a list of products and companies, including McDonald’s, purportedly with ties to Israel’s Zionist regime was circulated in the social media, although many have ended up there based on now-debunked hoaxes and obsolete links.
The company said there have been 50 hostile incidents involving their abuse of harassment of their staff, and property damage to its outlets.
McDonald’s Malaysia has since been forced to issue a statement clarifying that they do not contribute any of its sales or profits to political or economic funds elsewhere in the world, especially to Israel.
