LETTER | Umno Youth leader and rabble-rouser Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh cannot have his cake and eat it too.

Whether he realises it or not, the call for the boycott of KK Mart even after the owner and supplier apologised perhaps led to the unintended consequences.

One major consequence was the attempted firebombing of a KK Mart outlet in Bidor, Perak. Fortunately, the petrol bomb did not ignite and no one was hurt.

However, the message was loud and clear that ridiculing race or religion might be highly combustible in the country.

Akmal should have let go of the protest after the apology and after the police swung into action.

While both the KK Mart founder and socks supplier are being charged, the individuals who posted unsavoury comments on the socks matter on Facebook have been found guilty, fined, and jailed.

However, the police have yet to act against the vigilantes for doxing the individuals for making fun of the socks incident. The police should be seen as acting without fear or favour.

Akmal might shed tears after hearing of the attempted firebombing of the KK Mart in Bidor.

As the leader of Umno Youth and a medical doctor by profession, he lacked the understanding and objectivity to fathom the ramifications of the socks issue before acting.

Common sense would have raised the question of why a leading commercial establishment like KK Mart would want to distribute socks with the word Allah printed on them.

It was just a few pieces of socks but the damage was done. It is not that the incident should not be taken seriously, but a more sensible approach would have been better.

Akmal for the sheer want of publicity went beyond registering the protest by calling for a nationwide boycott.

He might want to be seen as tough, but he underestimated the unintended consequence of the political rhetoric.

Yes, Akmal spoke against such acts of violence, but he cannot hide his hand behind his back to say there was no relationship between his boycott and the firebomb incident.

It serves no purpose for Akmal to cry over the split milk. He cannot practice hate politics but yet shed crocodile tears when something goes wrong.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.