Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has today told the public not to be a prosecutor or judge over the issue of the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” by a KK Mart branch recently.
As vigilantes started cropping up to champion the matter, Anwar said the country would not be able to see any growth if the people decided to harp on certain issues, especially on the so-called “3R”: race, religion and royalty.
“I didn’t mean to make this insignificant. No one should belittle or insult any religion, what more Islam,” he said in a breaking fast event at the Kolej Poly-Tech Mara Meru Raya, referring to the socks issue.
“The world is now vigorously competing in artificial intelligence and digital transformation while we are still arguing on other matters.”
Anwar pointed out that the problem in the country now is that everyone wants to become an investigator and judge over most issues.
“In any case, the one who should be investigating is the police, the one who charges is the Attorney General’s Chambers and the one who delivers the verdict is the court,” he said.
“There are procedures before someone is judged. We need to call the accused, allow him to defend himself, call the witness to give a statement, analyse the facts and only then the judge makes the decision.
“However, the public immediately makes judgment when they see such issues in social media such as TikTok. We need to be mindful of such matters so that the country’s dignity can be preserved,” he added.
Anwar also said he wishes for the matter to reach its conclusion soon.
“This matter can’t be dragged on every week and we shouldn’t blame everyone and isolate all the shops,” he said. – MMO