THE QUICK gesture of penitence by the management of KK Super Mart over the unintentional sale of socks with religiously sensitive wording has earned the minimart company plaudits for its swift actions.
MCA vice-president Datuk Tan Teik Cheng said this was the correct approach in resolving the sensitive issue as the company had swiftly apologised to the country’s Muslim community over the socks containing the word “Allah” appearing in some outlets.
“I believe this is the correct approach in resolving such sensitive issues,” he said in a statement today.
He also emphasised that Malaysia is a country of diverse races and religious beliefs, and all ethnicities should remain tactful on such sensitive issues.
As a well-known convenience store chain, KK Super Mart did not make excuses after the incident but chose to acknowledge the mistake, apologise, and immediately resolve the issue, bringing the matter to a close.
Tan said that Umno Youth chief Muhammad Akmal Saleh’s move to report this incident and urge others affected to do the same not only fails to solve the problem but also exacerbates racial tensions, offering no help to resolve the matter.
“Politicians attempting to exploit such incidents for their political purposes and to divert attention, risk complicating and confusing the issue, hindering its resolution,” he said.
He said that politicians should instead focus on protecting public interests.
“Only then can the issue be properly resolved, and the government’s commitment to its responsibility to the public conveyed.
“This incident serves as a good lesson for Malaysia’s diverse society. People should remain sensitive to religious and racial issues in their daily lives, accepting each other’s differences based on the principle of mutual respect, thus embodying the spirit of diversity and moderation in our multicultural society.”
‘Bullying and humiliating’ behaviour
Former de facto law minister Datuk Seri Zaid Ibrahim took the Umno leader to task for seeming to harass and make unreasonable demands to show that Umno is a “party of struggle”.
He questioned how one should make a “stronger apology” as the youth wing has demanded of KK Super Mart.
Zaid, a former Umno MP for Kota Baru, said that the chain’s owner has reasonably explained the incident behind the sale of such socks, which was unintentional.
“What gains or motives would a supermarket chain have to use the word Allah deliberately on a small part of its stock?” he said in a posting on X.
“It makes no sense that the store wants to humiliate Muslims. Probably, it was done by a mischievous supplier without KK Mart knowing.”
“Umno Youth should investigate and think through the matter further. Saying that they would take drastic actions unless KK Mart puts up banners apologising in all its 188 stores struck me as a bullying and humiliating tactic, not so much as to get an apology.”
Zaid called on Umno Youth to be responsible when dealing with sensitive matters or errors made by the Chinese business community.
“If there are no KK marts in the world, will Umno Youth be able to start up similar stores to serve the people?” he added. – The Vibes, March 17, 2024
