PUTRAJAYA – It remains undetermined if the contentious Security Offences (Special Measure) Act 2012 (Sosma) will be utilised against those who sow dissent among the people, said government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said this when asked whether the law will be applied as part of efforts to curb the alleged incitement of the public related to convenience store chain KK Mart’s sale of “Allah”-printed socks.
“(The use of Sosma) wasn’t discussed (during today’s cabinet meeting),” Fahmi briefly told a press conference at his ministry’s complex, here, today.
The cabinet, he said, also agreed that enforcement has to be stricter and hastened.
“We take note of and will uphold the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree on the need to handle those who attempt to incite the people.”
Fahmi also said the cabinet meeting today did not have any specific discussions on the KK Mart controversy.
The controversial aspects of Sosma include a 28-day detention period without the need to produce suspects before a judge and limits on the provision of bail.
Earlier today, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Seri Chai Kee Kan was granted an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim to apologise for his company’s sale of socks printed with the word “Allah”.
Viral images of the socks at a KK Mart branch had caused the chain and its manufacturer, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, to be the target of outrage and calls for a boycott.
In particular, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh had vocally criticised the sale of the socks and condemned KK Mart for the incident – despite Chai publicly apologising for the offensive item.
The controversy has since led to several KK Mart outlets being attacked, with three hits so far involving molotov cocktails being thrown at its stores in Pahang, Perak and Sarawak in over a week.
Last Wednesday, Chai and his wife Loh Siew Mui were charged in the Shah Alam sessions court for intentionally hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims, while three of Xin Jian Chang’s directors were also charged with abetting the duo in the socks’ distribution.
The two companies are also engaged in a separate civil suit brought by KK Mart, which is seeking more than RM30 million in damages and losses caused by Xin Jian Chang’s alleged sabotage. – April 3, 2024