PETALING JAYA: Umno may be playing a two-pronged game by asking its firebrand Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh to let the ‘Allah’ socks issue die, says academic Tajuddin Rasdi.
He said that, despite public requests to quell the brouhaha, the party appeared to be basking in its newfound popularity among the Malays.
“I suspect Umno is playing a two-pronged game. It is supportive of the unity government, with leaders in defence of every government policy.
“However, Umno saw how effective Akmal and the KK Mart issue have been in drawing many Malays to its side. Umno is actually enjoying this popularity, which it had lost to Perikatan Nasional,” he told FMT.
“Umno could have dismissed Akmal – the same way they kicked Khairy Jamaluddin out, and stripped Jailani Khamis from his Melaka exco post – but it did not.
“You expect us to believe they could not do that, despite having suspended the likes of Hishammuddin Hussein and others for less?”
Tajuddin said it was also surprising that the police had not taken any action against Akmal, which appeared to have further emboldened the Umno Youth leader.
He said with the Sabah elections on the horizon, this could be a hot-button issue and non-Malays could turn on Umno.
He said the only way to teach Umno a lesson was for non-Malays to boycott them at the polls, because “the only language that politicians understand is votes”.
“Non-Malays should also avoid going to open houses hosted by the party,” he said.
Tawfik Ismail, the son of Malaysia’s second deputy prime minister, said Akmal’s defiance was going to be problematic.
“Akmal risks being isolated by his party’s supreme body… by openly defying the king, Akmal is following PAS, which recently had an altercation with the sultan of Selangor.
“Umno’s current policy of championing Malay rights will be questioned if it condones rebellion against the rulers.
“While whipping up racial sentiments against Chinese businesses, it risks alienating its grassroots by confronting the royals,” the former Sungai Benut MP said.
Earlier this week, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim urged all parties to stop taking advantage of the controversy surrounding the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah”.
The king said the matter should be left to the authorities, and that “persistent anger brings no benefit”.
To date, KK Mart’s founder and director Chai Kee Kan and Loh Siew Mui have been charged in court for intentionally wounding the religious feelings of Muslims by selling the socks, while three officers from Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, the company which supplied the socks, were charged with abetment.
Today, despite the stern warning from the king, Akmal appeared to be resolute in his stance. He asked if the king had specifically demanded a halt to the boycott.
In a statement on Facebook, Akmal said he was acting on public sentiment and encouraged a calm yet firm continuation of the boycott. - FMT
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