Dennis Ignatius
~ Provoking discussion, dissent & debate on politics, diplomacy, human rights & civil society.
Clearing the air on the KK Mart controversy
25MondayMar 2024
The discovery of a few pairs of socks with the word “Allah” on them has inflamed passions across the country. No doubt, many Muslims are upset and concerned but it is also clear that certain groups are continuing to manipulate the whole issue for political purposes.
Many saner voices – among them former ministers Rafidah Aziz and Zaid Ibrahim, former MP Tawfik Tun Dr Ismail, Professor Tajuddin Rasdi and G25 leaders – have called for restraint. Both Religious Affairs Minister Na’im Mokhtar and Penang mufti Wan Salim urged calm while CID chief Shuhaily Zain warned against vigilantism and asked the public to allow the police to do their job. Thank God for each one of them.
Top leaders in the government, however, have not stepped up to the plate with the kind of decisive leadership that is needed especially at times like this. It doesn’t help that UMNO – now a major player in the current unity government – seems determined to exploit the issue to the hilt. The prime minister seems unable or unwilling to rein them in. For so long as UMNO keeps fanning the flames and instigating unrest, it’s going to be hard to calm the situation.
Investigations are now ongoing and according to media reports, the police are recommending criminal charges against KK Mart and the supplier who imported the offending socks.
Nevertheless, the public is left with many unanswered questions. How did a few pairs with provocative words on it get mixed up with a much larger order? Was there malicious intent or sabotage involved? How did someone with a history of provocative behaviour just happen to come across the offending socks? Was this a case of a business rival trying to do in a competitor? What did the manufacturer in China or at least the PRC embassy here have to say about it? Was it part of a larger agenda by certain quarters to destabilize the government?
One thing is certain: neither KK Mart nor the distributor would be so foolish and reckless to deliberately import such items. Unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary, we must conclude that they are victims of circumstances beyond their control. Indeed, when the items were discovered, KK Mart took immediate action – issued a tearful apology, withdrew the offending items from their shelves, lodged a police report and severed their links with the local importer. What else could they have done?
People like UMNO Youth chief Akmal Saleh insists that that’s not enough. He apparently wants to permanently shut down KK Mart as retribution, never mind that it would hurt hundreds of Muslim and non-Muslim employees. His behaviour throughout this whole affair has been contemptible and reeks of opportunism.
The government has acted with all haste to quickly to charge, convict and jail those who insult Islam; can we expect similar treatment for those who incite, provoke and endanger public safety? Anything less will call into question the impartiality of our justice system.
What is now needed is a full and transparent investigation to get to the bottom of the whole issue. Charging KK Mart might satisfy the demand for retribution and punishment but it will not clear the air. Suspicion and doubt will continue to poison the environment. Worse still, it will only reinforce the dangerous and erroneous narrative that UMNO youth is peddling that non-Muslims are completely insensitive about such matters.
If we are going to really put this matter to rest, the public needs to know what really happened, how the offending socks came to be there and who is responsible. The facts must be uncovered because it’s becoming all too easy to manufacture and manipulate issues like this. Already allegations are being circulated of other similar offenses. These things can quickly take on a life of their own especially when so many are ready to believe the worst.
Unless we find a better way to manage such explosive issues, we will remain at the mercy of those who are ready to plunge the country into chaos to advance their own agendas.
We are fortunate this time that it did not lead to violence; we may not be so lucky the next time around. Years of exploiting race and religion for political ends have created a nation on edge. Transparency, decisive political leadership, saner voices and equal treatment under the law might just keep us from the precipice.
[Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur | 25th March 2024]
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