Stop exploiting socks issue, Mydin boss urges Umno man
Published on: Saturday, March 23, 2024
By: FMT
Ameer Ali Mydin said political parties should distance themselves from 3R issues and not pour oil on the flames.
PETALING JAYA: Mydin hypermarket boss Ameer Ali Mydin has urged Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh to stop exploiting the “Allah” socks issue for political mileage.
“Why is he still kicking up a fuss?” Ameer Ali Mydin told FMT.
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“Political parties should distance themselves from 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues and we should not pour oil on the flames.”
He said Akmal’s campaign for a public boycott of KK Mart, despite the chain having issued an apology, would affect investor confidence and the livelihoods of the workers, a majority of whom were Malay-Muslims.
“Both KK Mart and the vendor have apologised. What else do you expect them to do?” Ameer said.
Ameer, who is the president of the Bumiputera Retailers Association, acknowledged that the issue was a serious matter.
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However, he said, there was no need for the issue to be escalated, especially by those who were seeking to benefit from it politically.
Ameer is the latest to take Akmal to task over his conduct in this matter.
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Yesterday, former Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz described Akmal as a rabble-rouser the nation could do without, while former MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker, who is now a senator, said his behaviour would lead to Barisan Nasional being viewed by the public with contempt.
The controversy began when photographs were circulated on social media showing socks bearing the word “Allah” sold at a KK Mart shop in Bandar Sunway.
KK Mart’s management apologised over the matter, while Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, the vendor that supplied the socks, has been forced to cease operations temporarily after the Batu Pahat town council suspended its business licence.
Akmal deemed the apology by KK Mart insufficient, and pushed for a boycott. He also demanded that the company put up banners at all of its 881 stores nationwide to apologise for the sale of the socks.
In response, KK Mart put up an apology on the electronic displays and cash registers in all its stores.
Last night, the Umno Supreme Council was reported to have said it fully supported Akmal’s actions on the issue.
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