KUALA LUMPUR – The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, has expressed deep concern over escalating racial tensions in the aftermath of the petrol bomb attack on a KK Mart convenience store in Bidor on March 26.
Orang Kaya Bendahara Seri Maharaja Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin said that the sultan was briefed about the incident by the police and urged authorities to address the issue promptly.
“His Majesty regards the initial incident as a troubling development and calls for decisive measures to curb the flames of racism from being spread any further,” Zahidi said in a press statement today.
“Nonetheless, His Majesty maintains confidence in the majority of Malaysians, who are rational, moderate, and prioritise peaceful coexistence,” he added.
Meanwhile, Zahidi disclosed that the Sultan of Perak’s office lodged a police report on Thursday, concerning a viral statement titled ‘Amanah Membina Negara’, which allegedly misconstrued Sultan Nazrin’s remarks during the Second Malay Education Congress in 2005.
He clarified that the Sultan’s speech in 2005 did not contain any inflammatory remarks or incitement against any ethnic group.
“It appears that certain parties are deliberately stoking racial and religious tensions by misrepresenting His Royal Highness’s remarks from 2005. To safeguard the sultan’s reputation from unwarranted manipulation, the Office of the Sultan of Perak filed a police report on March 28, 2024,” Zahidi explained.
On Tuesday, police said they were on the hunt for a man suspected to be involved in an incident where a molotov cocktail was thrown at a KK Mart convenience store outlet in Bidor, Perak.
Perak police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said authorities received a report on the incident at 8.49am from a 20-year-old store employee, who was at the premises when the molotov cocktail was thrown at the store on Tuesday in the early morning hours.
The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief.
KK Mart has been embroiled in controversy after inciting outrage in the Muslim community over its sale of “Allah”-printed socks, resulting in certain quarters calling for a boycott of the chain.
KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Seri Chai Kee Kan had subsequently apologised profusely over the incident while the company’s supplier, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, had also expressed its regret for the oversight in its quality control process.
Chai and his wife Datin Seri Loh Siew Mui were charged in the Shah Alam sessions court for intentionally hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.
Three Xin Jian Chang directors were also charged with abetting Chai and Loh in the distribution of the socks.
The two companies are also engaged in a separate civil lawsuit brought by KK Mart, which is claiming more than RM30 million in damages and losses caused by Xin Jian Chang’s alleged sabotage. – March 29, 2024