'Don't throw stones then hide your hand' - PKR Youth tells Akmal

PKR Youth has called on Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh to take responsibility for his triggering statements on boycotting KK Mart.

Its information chief Nabil Halimi said Akmal was making excuses for not acknowledging the impact of his statements on the issue and is still hung up on the boycott call.

“Akmal, don’t throw stones and then hide your hand.

“We have said this before. In our diverse society, a political leader should focus on cooling down the racial tension, not adding fuel to the fire.

“Young leaders must be radical in uniting the country instead of tearing the social fabric built on the solid foundation set by the country’s founding fathers,” Nabil said in a statement.

PKR Youth information chief Nabil Halimi

Akmal has been one of the main proponents for a boycott to punish KK Mart after socks bearing the word Allah were found at three outlets in Selangor.

The uproar against the convenience store chain has led to two firebombing attempts at its outlets in Perak and Pahang.

Following the second attack, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail - who is also the PKR secretary-general - issued a veiled reprimand urging those who pushed for boycotts to take responsibility for the violent incidents.

Pressing on

While Akmal has condemned the attacks, he also maintained his call for a boycott.

He said a detailed investigation of the attacks must be carried out before pointing fingers.

His insistence that KK Mart be punished came despite calls by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for all quarters to stop fueling tensions as action is already being taken over the socks controversy.

KK Mart, the socks supplier, and directors for both companies have been charged for deliberately hurting religious feelings and abetting the act respectively.