Yii maintained that the issue should not have surfaced in the first place, saying he understood the sensitivity of holy sacraments being misused as a follower of a different faith.
“That is why I understand the importance of finding a middle ground and a way forward that is best for all parties, addressing the misunderstanding and sensitivities of all parties,” he said in a statement today.
“There is no need for any escalation or excessive threats that are not productive and would only divide our multicultural fabric even further and even hurt the local economy.
“We cannot be reactive to issues, and as young leaders, we must look to bring mature politics and policies that integrate and promote social integration, rather than making threats that divide us.”
Earlier this week, KK Super Mart issued an apology after the socks were found being sold in its stores. It said the socks were a consignment from a vendor and that it has demanded an explanation from them.
Its founder, KK Chai, said an inspection of its 800 outlets nationwide was immediately carried out and that there were only 14 pairs of socks in three stores that had the word “Allah” on them.
Chai also said the vendor has made a public apology.
In response, Akmal urged Muslims to boycott KK Super Mart outlets. He also urged the company to put up banners apologising over the issue in every one of its outlets, warning of more drastic action if it failed to do so.
The Merlimau assemblyman and Melaka executive councillor also lodged a police report on Saturday night.
Yii maintained that the issue should not be escalated further since KK Super Mart had taken immediate steps to rectify the situation and made a public apology.
“Let us take this opportunity during the holy month of Ramadan to learn to find ways to build bridges between one another and strengthen our resolve to focus on the needs of our people and country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tajuddin Rasdi of UCSI University agreed that the matter should be considered resolved since KK Super Mart has apologised.
He believed the company did not have any malicious intent and that this was “simply a bad mistake”.