No reason for Akmal to apologise over halal issue - Ku Li

• UPDATED 4.38PM | Added Boo's response to Ku Li's defence of Akmal. 

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has thrown his weight behind the party’s youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh amid the ongoing debate surrounding halal certification.

Ku Li, as he is fondly known, stressed that Akmal’s assertive stance should not be mistaken for hostility towards other races but rather as being in line with Umno’s constitution and mission.

“Why should he apologise? I believe this is a sincere opinion from our youth chief. He’s expressing his feelings, and it’s not about whether the halal certification is valid or not, but about his dissatisfaction.

“In my view, just because our leaders, be it Akmal or anyone else, express their thoughts, it does not mean we have negative feelings or are looking to oppose anyone,” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

Razaleigh (above) was responding to Johor DAP committee member Dr Boo Cheng Hau who urged Akmal to apologise to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and all Malaysians over his remarks amid the halal certification spat.

The issue erupted on Sept 8 when Akmal referred to Kok as an “old Nyonya” after she questioned a proposal for restaurants and businesses that don’t serve pork or alcohol to obtain halal certification, a move the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was reportedly considering at the time.

Akmal further commented that he would urge the government to create a non-halal logo to stick on Kok’s forehead.

Following his remarks, Kok issued a letter of demand on Sept 11 seeking RM25 million in damages, to which Akmal responded by stating he would meet her in court.

On Sept 18, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the cabinet’s decision to maintain the status quo on halal certification.

Razaleigh also said Akmal’s forthrightness does not equate to him launching an attack on anyone.

“Instead, it’s merely an expression of various things he is unhappy about with others,” he explained.

Repeated incendiary behaviour

However, Boo reminded Razaleigh that Akmal’s remarks were not only insulting but also sexist and racist.

He added that Akmal had made inflammatory comments repeatedly with no regard to ethnic minorities’ feelings, at the expense of the Malaysia Madani concept and Umno’s image.

“And Ku Li, as a senior Umno leader, should advise Akmal to apologise unreservedly not only to Kok but all Malaysians for failing to present his arguments calmly and intelligently,” Boo stressed in a statement on Facebook.

Optimistic about Mahkota

Separately, the former Gua Musang MP also expressed confidence that BN would retain its seat in the Mahkota by-election despite facing challenges from those attempting to divide the Malay community.

“Because of this, Umno faces challenges, but they are not major ones. These problems are caused by those who don’t want to see the Malays united.

“So, we must fight this malicious effort by those who are deliberately exploiting this opportunity to weaken us Malays,” he said.

The Mahkota by-election will see a straight contest between Kluang Umno Youth chief Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and Perikatan Nasional’s Haizan Jaafar on Sept 28.

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