As the Palestine-Israel war intensifies, lists of companies to boycott have spread across social media platforms. The Malaysian branch of McDonald’s took a big hit with having to be adjusted business hours now that the number of customers has decreased significantly.
One company that was added to the boycott list was Universal Music Group. Siti Nurhaliza, who has a connection with the local branch of the music corporation, gave her thoughts after the company stated that they were staying “neutral” about the war.
For context, Universal Music Group (UMG) posted a statement on their social media that showed that they were staying “neutral” regarding the tragedy in the Middle East. “Tragically, we recognise that these terrorist acts will cause violence and hate to spiral, with the rise of both Palestine and Israel civilian casualties and the anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry that will inevitably follow,” the company wrote.
As you may know, Universal Music Malaysia is part of the corporation and also serves as the distributor for our local artists’ music including Siti Nurhaliza. During an interview with local media, the singer was asked to give her opinion regarding the controversial statement shared by the group. “It was definitely a shock but they’re an international label and I believe that Universal Music Malaysia has a different political stance from UMG,” she said.
The mother-of-two also added that she still and will always be on the side of Palestine. “What UMG stands for and what I stand for are not the same. I have always supported and will continue to support Palestine. Also, Universal Music Malaysia is only working with me as a distributor for my music. I’m not an artist signed to their label,” the “Cinta Tak Berganti” songstress explained.
Universal Music Malaysia has yet to comment regarding the statement by UMG but we personally hope that the company will be transparent with their stance so that everyone’s minds can be at ease.
