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A SENATOR from MCA fears that the overboard actions of Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh in relation racial and religious matters will only cause the public to reject Barisan Nasional (BN) in the elections.
Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said Akmal should not be taking it upon himself to assume the roles of "judge, jury, and executioner".
"He cannot simply act based on emotions and shoot off his mouth as he pleases, often showing disregard for the law and taking things into his own hands.
"Being so arrogant and insensitive to the multiculturalism in the country will only push the rakyat further away from BN," he said when debating the king's address in the Dewan Negara.
The former MCA vice-president also claimed that Akmal has been enticing certain 'vigilantes' to go and carry out their version of justice.
He cited an incident recently involving a silat group confronting a Facebook user over allegedly insensitive remarks made regarding the sale of socks bearing the word 'Allah'.
"This can potentially lead to something worse and even to criminal intimidation or assault. Though there was no physical harm, we must prevent such trends from escalating into violence and harm," said Ti.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also recently called on parties harping on the issue surrounding the religiously offensive socks spotted at some KK Super Mart outlets to allow action to be taken by the authorities and not unduly dwell on the matter.
He said that everyone commits mistakes and any punishment that is meted out should not be excessive.
He said those who made the mistake should not be taken to task to the point of being tormented, in obvious reference to the apology tendered by the owner of the minimart chain and the local supplier of the items which were made in China.
KK Super Mart and the local supplier swiftly apologised to the country’s Muslim community over the socks containing the word “Allah” appearing in some outlets.
It has been reported that the owner was not even aware that the socks sent to his shops were designed that way. The vendor had received the Miranosock socks bearing the word ‘Allah’ from China where they were manufactured.
It has been reported that thus far the police have found in total only five pairs of the offensive socks in the company's various premises.
Recently, Akmal called for a boycott of KK Super Mart over the socks issue, insisting on continued action despite calls from other leaders to resolve the matter swiftly.
Akmal deemed KK Super Mart's apology insufficient and demanded apology banners to be displayed at all of the chain's 881 outlets.
Last year, Ti had called on Akmal to practise humility and respect the law and constitution over the Imam Al-Nawawi 40 Hadith module for Muslim children in public schools.
He said Umno Youth must allow concerned parents, religious leaders, NGOs and other relevant parties to seek clarifications on the Imam Al-Nawawi 40 Hadith module.
“Similarly all Malaysians must respect Islam as the official religion, but at the same time must be vigilant towards ‘political Islam’, as during the 80s and 90s this trend brought tremendous damage and changed the fabric of the nation.
“It was more of a political agenda and not a religious one. Politics can be damaging. Politicians using religion are dangerous and cause hardship and social calamities,” he said.
Ti was responding to Akmal’s statement where he said anyone, whether friend or foe, would have to face Umno Youth first if they questioned the hadith module. – The Vibes, March 22, 2024