Chinese are boycotting Gardenia owned by Syed Mokhtar

Friday, 30 December 2011 07:04

Faced with an unrelenting online campaign calling for the boycott of its products, Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd today took out advertorials in English dailies refuting claims that it is a "crony company".

The breadmaker also denied charges it had been directed by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas), which has a 30 per cent stake in Gardenia, to stop buying flour from Malayan Flour Mills Bhd (MFM) for allegedly racist reasons. Gardenia is the market leader in bread.

Bernas is owned by Tan Sri Syed Mohktar Al-Bukhary, while MFM is controlled by Hong Kong-based Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok.

"We buy flour from Malayan Flour Mills Bhd and Prestasi Flour Mills Sdn Bhd purely due to commercial reasons," Gardenia said in its full-page advertorial.

"In fact, Bernas has a stake in Y flour mill and yet we have never been directed or coerced to buy flour from it. This speaks volumes on the professionalism of the Bernas management."

The market leader in bread said it was "everything a good Malaysian company should be", stressing that it employed highly professional and ethical people regardless of race or religion.

Gardenia pointed out it has supported many community projects and activities since 1992 and was currently providing over 60 shelter homes with free fresh bread products daily, again without care for race or religion.

The company claimed the campaign was the result of its success in providing high-quality products every day "come rain or shine", an achievement which has stirred envy in competitors.

"This envy has resulted in the circulation of many malicious rumours and falsehoods. However, now, underhanded tactics with racial and political overtones have been used.

"We all should not be party to this exploitation and manipulation to serve some narrow agenda," it said.

A spokesman for Gardenia said a Malay version of the advertorial would appear in Malay-language papers tomorrow.

The anti-Gardenia campaign, conducted online and mainly in Chinese, began a month ago, calling for a boycott of the breadmaker for allegedly discriminating against Kuok's MFM on racial grounds.

The campaign also urged consumers to support rival bread company Massimo, also owned by Kuok, which entered the market recently.

One email read: "Let's support the new Massimo bread by Robert Kuok and boycott Gardenia bread owned by Umno crony, Syed Mokhtar Albukhary's Tradewind group."

Gardenia had earlier sought help from DAP organising secretary Teresa Kok, who called the campaign "extremely racist and not acceptable".

The Seputeh MP said the public should not forward messages without first verifying the information contained within them first - MI

Comments

#7 tang kui April 2012

ramai rakyat kita keturunan china dah lama boycott kerajaan maslaysia kerana sebab kononya bumiputra-affir mative polisinya, dan sebaliknya menyokong singapura kerana polisi affirmativenya kpd rakyat bukan melayunya. semenjak awalan1970an lagi dan berterusan sahingga sekarang, mereka longgokan wang mereka disana secara senyap2 atau terbuka atas pelbagai alasan perniagaan sahingga melemahkan kedudukan tukaran asing negara yg bertempangan berbanding dgn sing dlr. sebagai imbohan atas kecenderungan mereka ini , kerjaan singapura memberi layanan istimewa kepada mereka/keluarga memasuki perkhidmatan awam/swasta, polis dan tentera, menerima biasiswa, dan pelbagai lagi keistemewaan yg diperuntukkan kpd bukan melayu dinegara tersebut. yg teruk lagi mereka ini berterusan menudoh kerajaan malaysia tidak adil dalam penyerapan bukan melayu dalam perkhimatan malaysia sedangkan sebab sabenarnya ialah mereka yg tidak berminat dan memberi sapenuh minat berkhimat merekaka kepada negara tetangga. pihak2 yg berwajib elok lengkapkan statistik para penabung yg secara tidak sah ini dan mereka yg berkhehidmat dgn semua agensi kerjaan s'pura sebagai menemplak tuduhan2 dap mengapa sebenarnya kekurangan ethnik china memasuki pelbagai perkhidmatan malaysia.

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