Stop the rabble-rousers, says Rafidah

KUALA LUMPUR: Former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has urged Putrajaya to stop rabble-rousers within the governing coalition from stoking further tensions on the issue of socks bearing the word “Allah”.

Not naming names, she appeared to be targeting Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Salleh over his hardline stance on the controversy.

She advised Muslim politicians to emulate the exemplary restraint shown by Prophet Muhammad when confronted with bad individuals.

“If people like the youth chief cannot even try to emulate our great Prophet, in the Prophet’s treatment of others, then he has not upheld what the religion expects of him.

“We do not need his breed of rabble-rousers, who will only cause fractiousness among Malaysians,” she said in a statement.

Rafidah said the government has many other pressing issues that needed to be addressed and it should not be distracted.

“The government must not allow itself to be in that difficult situation of having to manage the rabble-rousers within its midst, and ensuring that tensions do not escalate.

“There are already so many pressing issues to address and manage... without being distracted by such an unwarranted problem as the socks issue.

“Action is already being taken. No one should be allowed to politically capitalise on it. Society and nation will be hurt by it all,” she said.