MCA, DAP slam Akmal
over KK Mart sandwich
issue
Leaders from MCA and DAP say politicising the issue could harm the country’s business environment and hinder foreign investment.
In a statement today, MCA vice-president Wee Jeck Seng urged Akmal to refrain from politicising the issue as it could harm the country’s business environment and hinder foreign investment.
“Politicians should not exploit such controversies to score political mileage. This will only exacerbate divisiveness in society and fill the business environment with hatred and instability,” he said.
He added that any disputes involving religion or halal certification of food should be handled by the relevant professional bodies, such as the Islamic development department (Jakim).
“We are confident in the capabilities of these institutions and believe they are well-equipped to resolve such issues without politicians meddling or amplifying the topic excessively on social media,” he said.
Meanwhile, DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong said the incident has been sensationalised by Akmal who made it seem as if no action had been taken on the matter, when in fact the university had ordered the immediate closure of the shops.
Woo added that DAP Youth is confident all universities under the purview of the higher education minister, who is an Umno politician, will not compromise on such issues.
“Political leaders should work together to reduce the political temperature that might be raised by those who intend to cause divisions in our society,” he said.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Akmal had questioned the halal certification for the sandwich and cited a previous controversy involving KK Mart.
“Old wounds regarding the ‘Allah’ socks controversy have yet to heal.
“Ham contains pork and the sandwich was sold at UM, where the majority of the community is Malay. We can understand if it’s only sold to non-Malays … but why is there a halal logo on the packaging?
“It is not the first time this has happened. We have had enough of these insults to our religion (Islam),” he said, urging the police and the relevant agencies to take action.
Earlier today, KK Mart announced that it had suspended all business dealings with Shake and Bake Café, the company that supplied the pre-packed chicken ham and cheese sandwiches to its outlets. This comes after two KK Mart Concept Stores in UM were shut down on Jan 10.
Separately, Jakim confirmed that the sandwich in question and the factory producing it are not halal-certified.
Jakim said the domestic trade and cost of living ministry – which raided the factory last Friday – is taking legal action against the factory.
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