KUANTAN: KK Mart Group's swift action to issue a public apology to the Muslim community across the country over the "Allah" socks blunder was described as the appropriate approach in resolving the sensitive issue.
MCA vice-president Datuk Tan Teik Cheng emphasised that Malaysia is a country of diverse races and religious beliefs, thus all ethnicities should remain tactful on sensitive issues.
"KK Mart did not come up with excuses after the incident but acknowledged their mistake, apologised, and immediately resolved the issue to bring closure to the matter.
"The move by the Umno youth chief to report the incident (to police) and urging others to do the same, however, does not only fail to solve the problem but also exacerbates racial tensions.
"Politicians attempting to exploit such incidents for political purposes face the prospect of complicating and confusing the issue," he said in a statement today.
Tan added that politicians should refrain from exploiting such issues for personal or political gain, and focus instead on protecting public interests.
"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, and accept each other's differences based on mutual respect," he said.
Today, KK Mart Group issued an apology through its founder and executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr K.K. Chai, after the sale of the socks went viral on social media yesterday.
Chai was quoted as saying that even he could not accept the sales of socks bearing the word "Allah", what more printing them.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh today gave KK Super Mart two days to put-up a banner at all 881 branches of the convenience store nationwide to apologise for the sale of the socks, and failure to to do so will lead the wing to initiate a "stronger boycott."
