Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has called on his successor Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and outraged Muslims in the country to put a halt to their campaign against KK Mart.
Khairy said the point has been made that Muslims were hurt over the socks bearing the word “Allah” and that there was no need to drag things further.
“First of all, for Muslims, we need to take a step back. Are we going too far?
“And we have advice for our friend, Akmal, you’ve made your point. In this matter, I don’t blame Akmal. I don't blame him. That (voicing out) is his job (as Umno Youth chief).
“But it’s time to stand down. Your point has been made. It’s time to stand down and leave it to Muslim consumers whether they want to go to KK Mart or not,” he said during a live episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast this morning.
He added that Akmal must understand that standing down does not mean surrendering.
The current Umno Youth chief has been a vocal proponent of punishing KK Mart over the socks scandal, despite the company and its supplier apologising over the matter.
The uproar against KK Mart reached a new level today when a petrol bomb was thrown at an outlet in Bidor, Perak this morning.
The petrol bomb did not ignite. The Bidor outlet was not one of the three outlets where the “Allah” socks were found - all of which were in Selangor.
Akmal has condemned the attempted arson but maintained that the boycott should continue, calmly.
Khairy acknowledged today that Akmal had not ordered his supporters to burn down KK Mart but said such an act was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, he also expressed concern that if the outrage against KK Mart continues, it will feed into negative racial narratives.
“It would feed into the Malay narrative that the Chinese are tone-deaf towards Malays.
“And it would feed into the Chinese narrative, that when such issues crop up, Chinese businesses would be oppressed,” he said.
PM ‘relatively silent’
Commenting on the matter further, Khairy also questioned why Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had remained relatively silent on the matter.
He said as a skilled orator, Anwar should seize the opportunity to address all Malaysians from the heart and unite them in this divisive moment.
“This is a leadership moment, where he can show to all ‘I am a leader who understands how complex it is to lead a diverse country like Malaysia. Who knows this is sensitive, but this is how we should react as Muslims and as multi-racial Malaysians’. That is what I hope from Anwar,” Khairy said.
Anwar had thus far reportedly only commented on the KK Mart controversy twice.
The first time, he said a probe must be carried out over the matter but that punishment should not be excessive.
He also said there was no need to drag the issue out longer.
Yesterday, Anwar also reiterated that religions should not be insulted, especially Islam.
Meanwhile, Khairy’s co-host, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan Suffian, also questioned why religious figures were not speaking out.
“I want to hear from religious figures, tell me, what is the right response,” he said.
Shahril had earlier cited how US-based Muslim preacher Omar Suleiman had once taught that when Islam is perceived to be attacked, Muslims must remain calm and dignified in their response. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.