Pm Probe Sock Issue But Don T Pursue Excessive Punishment

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim believes the controversial issue of socks bearing the word "Allah" should be probed according to the law, but he doesn't believe in excessive punishment on the matter.
"My view is clear. There was an offence committed, there must be investigation and immediate action according to the law. That's enough.
"There's no need to drag the matter. We must move forward. Why must we be stuck with these issues?" said Anwar at a buka puasa gathering with members of the media at Putrajaya tonight.
"Do not insult religion, especially Islam. Let's not continue with this discussion as if there is a major catastrophe in this country.
"The punishment should not be extreme. Some people make mistakes just like we make mistakes," added Anwar.
On the issue of friendly fire among government politicians on the matter, he said that his government was democratic and believed in freedom to express critically.
"The Madani government is democratic. We don't practice a system where we control what people can say," he added.
The controversy surfaced last week when images of the socks bearing the words "Allah" being sold at the Bandar Sunway outlet of the KK Mart went viral on social media.
Following uproar, KK Mart issued an apology to all its customers, particularly the Muslim community, and confirmed that immediate action had been taken to halt the sale of the socks.
This included terminating its contract with Xin Jian Chang.
The supplier had, in turn, blamed manufacturers in China for wrongly sending the socks to it, which it then overlooked.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal SalehPolice, in an inspection of the Xin Jian Chang factory, said it had only found five pairs of the "Allah" socks, all of which were the ones recalled from KK Mart.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh was particularly vocal on the issue calling for a boycott of KK Mart while a number of other political leaders in the government called for restraint. - Mkini

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