SHAH ALAM: PAS' Kuala Terengganu MP Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim has apologised to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after claiming that the batik shirt worn by the premier while presenting the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) on Thursday (July 31) had an Indonesian design, Sinar Harian reports.
The Malay language daily said that Ahmad Amzad had, in a Facebook post, acknowledged his mistake and removed his earlier post after receiving feedback from several batil entrepreneurs, including the producer of the batik shirt worn by Anwar.
"The owner of Bujins Batik clarified that it was their product. I will not defend my mistake and was only made aware of it just now by my officer because I was in transit from Kuala Lumpur back to Kuala Terengganu and did not follow the development of that post.
"That was indeed my fault and I need to correct it immediately," he said.
Earlier, Ahmad Amzad had posted a message advising the Prime Minister to be careful in choosing appropriate attire during the 13MP presentation in the Dewan Rakyat.
In that post, he also questioned Anwar's decision to wear a batik shirt with an Indonesian design, arguing that the attire on Thursday was meant to highlight the uniqueness of Malaysian batik as a heritage and national identity before deleting his statement.
Ahmad Amzad expressed his gratitude to all parties who provided feedback and clarified that his intention was simply to offer a perspective as a concerned representative for the local batik industry.
"To the Prime Minister, I apologise. My intention was merely to provide a viewpoint because, as a representative from Terengganu who frequently interacts with many Malaysian batik entrepreneurs, one of the issues often raised is the fate of the Malaysian batik industry.
"I apologise once again. Respectfully," he said.
