Gumanti Awaliyah, Jakarta – Since June 26, 2015, Starbucks CEO Howard Mark Schultz has supported equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people.
When meeting with Starbucks shareholders, Schultz explicitly invited shareholders who do not agree with same-sex marriage to divest their interests in Starbucks.
Responding to this, the chairperson of the economics division of the Islamic mass organisation Muhammadiyah’s central leadership board, Anwar Abbas, insisted that it is time for the Indonesian government to consider revoking Starbucks’ license to operate in Indonesia.
This is because the business ideology and lifestyle views Schultz is campaigning for are clearly not in accordance or in line with the state ideology of Pancasila.
“We as a nation, clearly do not want our attitudes and character as a religious and cultured nation to be ruined and be in disarray because of their presence [in Indonesia]”, he said in a written press statement received by Republika on Thursday June 29.
Abbas also called on the Indonesian people to consider boycotting Starbucks’ products because if their attitudes and views do not change, then the nation’s very identity will be at stake.
Abbas appealed to the people and the government to take measures and to act for the sake of saving Indonesia’s interests as a nation and a state. “We don’t want one rotten apple to spoil the whole barrel”, he said.
Earlier it was report that Schultz said that people that only support marriage between members of the opposite sex and disregard same-sex marriage are not wanted at the Starbucks coffee shop franchise.
Schultz, who is known to be accommodative to the LGBT community, stated that anyone who rejects same-sex marriage can go elsewhere. This sentiment was also directed at Starbucks shareholders.
Notes
Anwar Abbas is also the secretary general of the ultra-conservative Islamic Ulama Council or MUI and recently proposed the establishment of an MUI “faction” within the House of Representatives which would work to strengthen Islamic values in the nation. He has in the past also riled against the celebration of Valentine’s Day claiming it damages the character and morality of the younger generation.
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was “PP Muhammadiyah Serukan Boikot Starbucks di Indonesia, Ini Alasannya”.]
