Boycott as a form of civil disobedience?

There is a video about the experience of a retiree who related her experience with DBS bank. I got this video second hand from Lucky Tan's blog post.

The protest would never be fully heard unless the protesters take it to the next step.

I think organising regular protests, while admirable, is not very effective. It is just a tool by the government to let people let off steam. It is not even outside their office. DBS can't even hear how angry they really are.

I think DBS is most probably adopting a strategy of divide and conquer, they return their money to a few but not all. Possibly fracturing the movement. What is the best way to get at them? Hurt them at the pocket books.

If you look at the civil rights movement in the 1950s-60s in the United States, an effective tool of civil disobedience was economic boycott.

When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, the black community mobilised to boycott the bus company. That movement spread across the south resulting in the closure of some bus companies; brought down to their knees in bankruptcy. The remaining bus companies were forced to desegregate because it hurt their pocket books.

Imagine what would happen if every one took their money out of DBS on a large organised level (all in one day) and put it in some other bank. DBS would have to raise their rates to retain those accounts resulting in a huge loss in their profitability.

This is what I am suggesting. It has been done before. During the second world war (before the occupation), the local chinese community started a boycott of japanese products as a form of protest. And this kind of protest doesn't break any law of illegal assembly in Singapore.

Anyway, despite my reservations about the effectiveness of protesting in a park far away from the DBS office, I do greatly admire and respect Tan Kin Lian for organising these protest and seeking legal help for the victims. He did not need to as he did not buy any of those toxic products but he is helping them any way. He is truely a great Singaporean hero.