'Leaders who fanned tensions indirectly responsible for KK Mart attack'

 

Politicians who fanned tensions are indirectly responsible for an attempted arson at a KK Mart in Perak, said a Pakatan Harapan lawmaker.

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said such an attack should not have happened in a supposedly peaceful and moderate Malaysia where all races had learned to live in harmony.

“This situation is indirectly caused by the current heightened situation, where certain leaders who instead of finding a constructive resolution to the matter chose to fan the flame of division and escalate the problem, pandering anger and hate into the whole situation.

“They cannot wash their hands clean of this matter and are indirectly responsible for it escalating until where it is now,” he said in a statement today.

At around 5am today, a petrol bomb was thrown at a KK Mart outlet in Bidor, Perak. However, the bomb failed to ignite.

While Yii named no names, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh is among those who have been inciting action against KK Mart.

Akmal has condemned the arson attempt as an extreme act but has maintained calls to boycott KK Mart, albeit calmly.

KK Mart has been at the centre of controversy after socks bearing the word “Allah” were found at three of its outlets.

KK Mart and its former supplier had apologised over the matter and claimed the socks were an oversight.

The apology, as well as calls for calm, have failed to deter Akmal from pressing for action to be taken against KK Mart.

Let the law take its course

Yii in his statement today, called on police to thoroughly investigate today’s attempted arson and to apply the full force of the law on those responsible.

He also pleaded for the law to run its course on the socks controversy, noting that charges have already been made in court.

“Whether we agree with such a step (or not), the court will be the best platform to prove and resolve the matter based on real facts and evidence rather than emotions from certain groups of people.

“That is why it is important to allow the law to run its course and not further escalate the issue. 

“A responsible leader should have when knowing the problem find ways to resolve it amicably and bridge the divide rather than dividing the people,” he said.

Earlier today, KK Mart, its former supplier Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, and directors for both companies were charged for deliberately causing religious hurt. - Mkini