WAS the recent petrol bomb thrown at the KK Super Mart outlet in Bidor, Perak an unintended outcome of UMNO Youth’s belligerent stand against the Allah inscription on socks incident?
UMNO Youth might not have condoned the act of violence but under tension-ridden political circumstances, there is thin permeable line between boycott and violence.
In the hands of the extremists, there is always the possibility of turning boycott into acts of violence.
This is not the first time that the petrol bomb was thrown for there have been similar incidents before. The good thing was that the petrol bomb thrown at the KK Super Mart outlet in Bidor missed the target and as a result nobody was injured.
Whether the petrol bomb hit the target or not, the message of violence was loud and clear. Perhaps the petrol bomb was not intended to hit the target but a warning to those who touch on sensitive matters of race and religion.
UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh was probably naive for not anticipating how peaceful protests might dovetail into acts of violence.
Akmal might not have endorsed extremism or violence but as the way the momentum developed over the last few days, he might have lost control of the plot thereby providing an opportunity for extremist elements to hijack the protests to turn them something else.
Akmal should have dropped the matter as soon as the KK Super Mart owner and supplier apologised over the incident. But unfortunately, he went on and on without realising the fact that his hard uncompromising stand might have unintended consequences.
Extremism looms
The petrol bomb thrown was the unintended effect of Akmal’s unceasingly diatribe against KK Super Mart even after its founder Datuk KK Chai and sock distributor Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd were charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court for deliberately intending to hurt religious feelings” of others,
Even with the police intervention leading to investigations and levelling of charges, there was no let up on the part of UMNO youth.
It was unfortunate that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other leaders allowed the matter to get out of hand.
It was unfortunate the police were unable to act on the vigilantes who took the law into their own hands. Instead, a 68-year-old motor workshop owner was arrested in Melaka yesterday (March 26) for threatening – as a result of emotional flare – to shoot Akmal with a gun if he continues to trumpet his boycott agenda.
It is agreed that race and religion are combustible issues in Malaysia. But surely, Anwar as the PM or his Home Minister must know how to manage and subdue the recalcitrant elements out to make a political capital of the sock-gate incident.
It is strange that Anwar could not rein in UMNO leaders who are part of the Madani government. Anwar’s non-action in allowing the socks incident getting out of control was a shame and disgrace.
Even the call for boycott might have been wrongly interpreted by some extremist elements. This is why UMNO Youth -un-refrained by national leaders – went overboard on the call for the boycott.
Simple logic would have indicated why would a major commercial enterprise in the country like KK Super Mart would ever think of importing and selling the controversial socks.
It was just few socks (14 pairs of socks out 18,000 pairs ordered) but sufficient to create the uproar against the KK Super Mart establishment.
UMNO Youth could have focused on the socks issue to make a political capital. Apart from race and religion, UMNO has no other issues to fall on.
It is unfortunate that UMNO that was responsible for negotiating political independence for the country had succumbed to hate politics. – March 27, 2024
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the Urimai (United Rights of Malaysian Party) Interim Council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
-Focus Malaysia
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