PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has refused to entertain calls from a Sabah MP for him to demand an apology from China over the sale of socks at KK Mart bearing the word “Allah”.
The Merlimau assemblyman said Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau did not understand the crux of the issue and was the one reacting disproportionately to the controversy.
“I cannot be bothered to make this into a bigger issue. I ask Tangau to sit down and read the news again,” he told FMT.
Akmal also reiterated Umno Youth’s commitment to the nationwide boycott campaign against KK Mart, despite pressure from various quarters.
“If you don’t want to participate in the boycott, that’s fine, but don’t stop others who wish to do so,” he said.
On Monday, Tangau said that if Akmal’s “disproportionate” reaction to the issue could be justified in the name of religion, he should demand an apology from China for allowing the manufacturer to produce the socks.
The Upko MP said Akmal should press foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, who is also Umno’s deputy president, to summon China’s ambassador for an explanation and to boycott China if Malaysia does not receive a satisfactory answer.
Academic Tajuddin Rasdi of UCSI University later said Akmal was unlikely to respond to Tangau’s challenge as “a bully will always pick on a smaller person”.
