KUALA LUMPUR – Allow police to investigate the attacks on KK Mart convenience stores before accusing anyone, said Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh.
Dr Akmal, who has been vocal on the issue regarding socks bearing the word “Allah,” also urged authorities to promptly and thoroughly conduct investigations.
This is the second time he has appealed to the public to remain calm and refrain from resorting to violence in boycotting the convenience store chain after the attack on the KK Mart branch in Bidor, Perak, last Wednesday.
“We have strongly condemned violent acts since day one. We urge for an immediate investigation and for the perpetrators to be severely punished, irrespective of their identity or location.
“Until then, we must maintain our composure and uphold the boycott against KK Mart,” he said on his Facebook page today.
The call to boycott KK Mart arose following the discovery of controversial socks at one of its branches in Selangor in early March.
Since then, members of the public, including Dr Akmal, have been expressing anger due to the lack of sensitivity towards the sanctity of the word “Allah,” prompting police to initiate investigations into the matter.
Subsequently, KK Mart founder and executive directors Datuk Seri Chai Kee Kan and his wife Datin Seri Loh Siew Mui, as well as the socks’ supplier, were charged in court on Tuesday for intentionally hurting the Muslim community’s religious sentiments.
Yesterday, another KK Mart branch in Kuantan was hit with a Molotov cocktail, causing a small fire at the store’s entrance.
Kuantan police chief Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu was reported as saying that the incident had occurred at 5.14am, during which a female cashier was having her predawn meal before fasting at the payment counter while another male worker was arranging items on the back shelf. – March 31, 2024