KUALA LUMPUR: Swatch Group chief executive officer Nick Hayek has refuted claims made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, stating that the Pride watches seized by local authorities did not contain any reference to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Anwar had on Thursday said the watches were confiscated due to "the LGBT wording" displayed on the dial and not because they came in rainbow colours.
"The Malaysian prime minister Mr Anwar Ibrahim stated in a recent interview that Swatch's latest collection of colourful watches includes the letters LGBT on their dials. Apparently, he was misinformed.
"Swatch has not included any reference to the LGBT community on the dials of this year's Pride Collection.
"These colourful watches include the meaning of each pride colour (life, healing, sunlight, nature, harmony, spirit) on their minute hands and two loops that form a rainbow," Hayek said in a statement to an online news portal.
It was reported that the two-day raid on May 13 and 14 was conducted at Swatch boutiques located in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, One Utama, Sunway Pyramid, Setia City Mall, Mid Valley Megamall, Southkey, Sunway Putra Mall, Sogo KL, Queensbay, Fahrenheit 88 and Suria Sabah.
Meanwhile, The Guardian had on May 24 quoted Hayek as saying: "We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful.
"We wonder how the Home Ministry's enforcement unit will confiscate the many beautiful natural rainbows that are showing up thousand times a year in the sky of Malaysia."
The article also quoted Swatch Malaysia marketing manager Sarah Kok as saying: "As per instruction from Switzerland HQ, we will still replenish the stock and display them on shelf."