PETALING JAYA: The Batu Pahat Municipal Council (MPBP) has revoked the business licence of the vendor that supplied KK Mart with socks bearing the word “Allah”.
In a Facebook post, MPBP said it also issued a notice for the closure of Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd’s operations.
The factory was served the notice under the council’s trade, business and industry licensing by-laws for violating the conditions of its business licence.
MPBP did not specify what these conditions were.
SPONSORED CONTENT Sabah revenue hits RM6.97 billion: Hajiji says GRS State Government may see full term Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year. Read more Yesterday, Oriental Daily reported that Xin Jian Chang was halting its factory operations in Batu Pahat until Sunday to ensure the safety of its staff.
The company said residential addresses of its top management were leaked on social media, and that threats had been made to burn the factory down.
Oriental Daily reported that the company had displayed a banner on its factory gate expressing regret over the controversy and promising to uphold its commitment to preserving the sensitivities of a multi-religious society.
It also pledged to maintain harmony and enhance quality-control efforts.
The daily also said that several NGOs had protested in front of the factory on Tuesday, submitting their demands to the company’s representatives following police intervention.
The groups demanded, among others, that the company put up a banner apologising for the incident in front of its factory for one month and upload an apology video on social media.
The NGOs also demanded that the company make donations to orphanages, Islamic schools or other organisations for the needy in the area.
The controversy arose after photographs of the socks, sold at KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway store, appeared on social media last Wednesday, earning the ire of the Muslim community and sparking calls for a boycott.
On Saturday, KK Mart apologised and expressed regret over the incident, saying it had sourced the socks from Xin Jian Chang.
Xin Jian Chang meanwhile said it was considering legal action for negligence against its supplier in China.
The vendor said it had contacted its supplier for an explanation, and that the supplier admitted that the socks were included in stock purchased “by mistake”.
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