By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 10: Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki has condemned the Molotov cocktail incident in his constituency, describing it as “a blatant act of violence and an attempt of terrorism”.
Expressing regret that the incident had occured in his constituency, which he said is the third kind throughout the nation, he said it was an apparent hate campaign against the convenience store chain.
“This firebombing incident was the third of its kind throughout the nation in an apparent hate campaign against the convenience store chain.
“Let’s be clear. This is a blatant act of violence and an attempt at terrorism which has absolutely no place in Sarawak and has never been our culture.
“We must reject all forms of extremism and the notion of extremist thinking,” said Ibrahim when debating TYT’s speech in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly today.
He took the opportunity to remind politicians and people not to stir racial sentiments but respect the sensitivities of Sarawak’s diverse communities.
“We must also acknowledge that our unity in Sarawak is still strong and we must not allow sentiments that undermine our solidarity.
“I call upon Sarawakians to not engage in tribalism and glamorise division. In a developing nation, division will only set us back; division will only stagnate our development and division will fail us, this generation and the next,” said Ibrahim who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) chief whip.
The controversy first arose after a video surfaced showing a branch of the KK Mart chain in Peninsular Malaysia selling socks with the Arabic inscription of “Allah” on March 13.
Following that, Umno Youth chief Mohd Akmal Saleh called for a boycott of the supermarket chain. Soon after, three Molotov cocktail incidents occurred in Perak, Pahang and also in Satok here in Kuching, in connection with the sock controversy.
KK Super Mart founder Datuk Seri Dr KK Chai, who is a Sarawakian, reacted by apologising in a press conference on Mar 16, while urging consumers not to boycott the brand, following inspections conducted at 800 branches nationwide revealed that only three outlets carried the socks, with a total of 14 pairs bearing the inscription. — DayakDaily
