KOTA KINABALU: The Umno leadership has requested its youth chief, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, to stand down on the Allah socks issue.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said there was no question of agreeing or disagreeing with Akmal's action in pressing KK Mart on the issue, as the decision had already been made by Umno to stop harping on the matter.
He said Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had requested for the issue to be dropped.
"The Umno president requested Dr Akmal (to stop it) and explained that KK Mart did not plan the incident.
"The king of Malaysia also requested for the issue to be dropped, and for me, that is sufficient," he said at the Umno Sabah breaking of fast event with the media and orphans, here, last night.
The Kinabatangan member of parliament was asked for his opinion on Dr Akmal's actions after socks bearing the word "Allah" were found in KK Mart stores.
Bung Moktar, who is also Umno Sabah chief, expressed his frustration with former Petagas assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang, who linked the KK Mart issue to Umno Sabah.
"Umno Sabah is not involved, but today (yesterday) I saw the statement by Datuk James Ligunjang again linking Umno Sabah with KK Mart and asking the people of Sabah to reject Umno because supposedly, we are extremists.
"After 25 years of not appearing in public, suddenly he links Umno Sabah with extremists. We are not extremists, I meet non-muslim friends every day, eat together, work together, and when we go out, we meet many non-muslims.
"We also have leaders and members who are not muslims in Umno Sabah, so after this, our non-muslim members can ask James to keep quiet. Don't link Umno Sabah with KK Mart and don't link what happens in the Peninsula with Sabah," he said.