Times When UMNO Youth Chief Akmal Saleh Made Us Scratch Our Heads
Recently, Akmal Saleh said he wanted to paste a non-halal logo on Teresa Kok’s forehead after she voiced the issue of mandatory halal certification for pork-free and alcohol-free restaurants and food companies.
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Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh is no stranger to making headlines, although more often than not, he makes us scratch our heads in wonder.
Most recently, he challenged Seputeh MP Teresa Kok after the latter said she would consult her lawyers regarding his remarks towards her.
Akmal Saleh had said he wanted to paste a non-halal logo on Kok’s forehead after she brought up the issue of mandatory halal certification for pork-free and alcohol-free restaurants and food companies. He also called Kok a “nyonya tua” (old woman).
Kok said the mandatory requirement could unnecessarily burden small businesses as it would incur extra administrative costs, restrict consumer freedom, and potentially clash with Malaysia’s cultural diversity.
She has reiterated that she supports the promotion of halal certification but asked the government to review its mandatory stance, citing that halal certification should be voluntary for businesses based on market demands and not through force.
Nevertheless, Akmal Saleh told Kok to “bring it on” and said he wasn’t afraid.
No fear, no surrender, we meet in court.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh wrote in Facebook
It’s not the first Akmal Saleh talks big. Here are the other instances he behaved spectacularly:
1. Wielding a Japanese sword on Facebook
In April this year, Akmal Saleh uploaded a Facebook picture showing him wielding a traditional Japanese sword. It was allegedly a picture he took during a trip to Japan on 14 March.
However, he captioned the picture: “No matter what, we will not waver from our stance. Better to die standing than live kneeling.”
Since Akmal Saleh has been stoking tensions, the picture was seen as further incitement for some and may be considered a seditious act.
2. The KK Mart “Allah” socks issue
Akmal Salleh kept stoking the KK Mart “Allah” socks issue bordering on an extreme level. PKR vice president and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Akmal Saleh’s behaviour had triggered extreme behaviour in others at the time.
Some of the extreme behaviour allegedly spurred by Akmal Saleh’s hardline stance was the petrol bombings at several KK Mart stores.
After giving his statement to the police, he uttered “No fear, no surrender” because he believed he was defending his religion and race.
READ MORE: Mydin Boss Urges UMNO Youth Chief To Stop Exploiting “Allah” Socks Issue For Political Mileage
READ MORE: Umno Youth Chief Arrested In Kota Kinabalu Amid KK Mart Boycott Controversy
3. Telling a fellow politician to prepare many Milo tins
Rembia ADUN, Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis, hopped parties and this clearly disappointed Barisan Nasional (BN) members. Anyone who jumped ship is considered a political frog.
To punish Muhammad Jailani, Akmal Saleh reminded him to be prepared to pay RM100 million to UMNO. He suggested Muhammad Jailani prepare many empty Milo tins to collect the money.
What else does Akmal Saleh have in store for us Malaysians? Guess we’ll have to wait and see as he briefly told Malaysiakini yesterday that “no one who touches on 3R (religion, race, royalty) issues will be spared.”
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