‘Allah’ socks: Focus on nation-building, not racial discord — Tiong
KUCHING: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing is calling upon all political leaders, particularly Umno Youth chief Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh, to focus on nation-building rather than sowing seeds of racial discord.
Tiong, who is president of Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), a component of the state’s ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), demanded that Akmal stop manipulating and playing up racial issues solely for personal political gains.
“Such act is shameful,” he said in a Facebook post, referring to the Umno man’s repeated attacks against KK Super Mart over the issue of socks bearing the word ‘Allah’ being sold at the convenience store.
This subject, observed Tiong, continued to be discussed even after the management of KK Super Mart had apologised upon realising the incident, which it said was purely unintentional, and had pledged that such oversight would not recur.
The management had also expressed willingness and commitment to cooperate with the authorities in rectifying the situation, he added.
“When members of the media asked for my comments, I said that Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal should not ride on this issue for personal political gains, which ultimately could damage the harmony among the multi-racial communities in the country.
“Not only did KK Super Mart immediately come forward to apologise for the error, but they also acted quickly to remove the product from the shelves at the (affected) branch.
“Therefore, all parties should remain calm and no longer ‘splash oil into the fire’. Instead, give KK Super Mart a chance to rectify its mistakes,” said Tiong, the MP for Bintulu.
He also called Akmal out to stop taking advantage of the situation to become a hero.
“Such a sensational style is shameful, and is not the right way to be hailed as a young person’s political champion. His arrogance sparks racial tensions, giving rise to racist sentiments and seriously affecting the country’s development and national unity.
“I also urge the Umno leadership to take this matter seriously, and not let Akmal use the Umno Youth platform and his status as a leader to pursue his personal agenda.
“I am more worried that if the senior Umno leaders dismissed Akmal’s behaviour and attitude as the Umno Youth chief, this could result in the people continuing to have a negative view of Umno, and it’s not impossible for Umno to be rejected by the peace-loving people who subscribe to unity and uphold mature politics,” said Tiong.
Adding on, he regarded the intervention from the Chief Minister of Melaka Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh as ‘necessary’ to subdue such extreme attitude, especially in view of Akmal being a Melaka State Exco.
“I have received feedback about the people of Melaka, including the grassroots, expressing dissatisfaction against Akmal’s arrogant attitude. If not dealt with immediately, this may negatively affect the future political development of Melaka.”
On KK Super Mart, Tiong said the chain had contributed immensely to society, especially in improving the economy and creating jobs.
“Humans are not perfect and they inevitably make mistakes in certain things. The KK Super Mart management had admitted to being negligent in this matter and therefore, it is important that we accept the company’s apologies with an open heart.”
Tiong acknowledged KK Super Mart as having more than 800 branches nationwide, with its employees coming from diverse racial background, including Malays.
“If the sock controversy were to be left to escalate, it could create a gap between the employees, and even worse, it could affect the livelihood of a large number of employees. Is this that Akmal wants to see?
“Therefore, I urge all political leaders to remain calm and stop fighting. Instead, focus on the agenda of developing the country for the good of the people,” stressed Tiong.