Enforcement officers conducted raids on several KK Mart convenience stores across Johor yesterday.
This action came after Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar urged authorities to deal strictly with the controversy involving the sale of socks inscribed with the word Allah.
At least three district offices have conducted raids on KK Mart stores in several locations but none of the stockings in question were found.
However, one store was ordered to cease operations for violating by-laws related to alcoholic beverages and another store was compounded for not having advertising licence.
Segamat Municipal Council on its official Facebook page yesterday confirmed a joint operation with the police, the Segamat Department of Islamic Development, and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, a comprehensive inspection was carried out at a KK Mart branch.
It said the store has a valid business licence and did not sell or stock the contentious socks.
However, the inspection found alcoholic beverages were stored on the premises without a licence, leading to the confiscation of 196 bottles under local by-laws.
“The store was ordered to cease operations immediately due to the improper segregation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.”
In Batu Pahat, the local municipal council on its Facebook page this morning announced it had inspected four KK Mart premises.
However, these inspections found no items of concern, specifically the socks bearing the word “Allah”.
One compound was issued to a store for an offence of not having an advertising licence under the by-law.
Meanwhile, similar raids were carried out in the Muar district yesterday.
According to Sinchew Daily, eight officers from local religious authorities, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and the police searched two KK Mart branches.
These raids also concluded without the discovery of the controversial socks.
Give no quarter
In a statement on Tuesday, Sultan Ibrahim said oversight is no excuse for a convenience store chain to sell socks bearing the word Allah.
According to the ruler, the issue must be dealt with strictly by the authorities, whether or not it was deliberately done, or if the products were manufactured locally or abroad.
“It does not make sense for a company, which employs locals, to not be sensitive to such matters.
“We have lived in a multiracial country all this while. Mistakes pertaining to race and religion, such as this, are unacceptable and should not be allowed to happen again.”
Last week, images of the Miranosock socks bearing the word Allah sold at convenience store chain KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway outlet went viral on social media.
Following the brouhaha, KK Mart apologised for the oversight to its customers and the Muslim community, in particular. They have also stopped selling the product.
The sock’s supplier, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, had also apologised and said the products were part of a bulk of stocks purchased by mistake from its China-based supplier. - Mkini
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