MERLIMAU, Melaka – For Deepavali, UMNO Youth chief Akmal Saleh was in an Indian family’s kitchen, making thosai and feeding a piece of it to an elderly woman he affectionately called “amma” – or mother in Tamil.
In a Facebook post on Nov 9, Akmal said he has known the woman since his schooldays when she sold the South Indian crepe at the Merlimau market, where she continues to trade today. He said he treated her like his own mother.
Before that, at a gathering hosted by a Tamil youth club, he wore a traditional ceremonial shawl and garland, and recounted how he had personally distributed chickens to Indian households in his constituency for Deepavali every year for the past four years.
“I am like family to the Indians here. Not just when I want to contest in an election,” he told the gathering.
The scenes stood in contrast to his combative public image, whose confrontational remarks on race and religion have repeatedly stirred tensions within the country’s multiethnic society.
Other comments by voters showed how differently he is perceived by the locals, who praised him for his quick response – especially to the recurring floods in the area.
Amier Rusydan, 26, a storekeeper who moved to Merlimau in 2006, said Akmal is quick to inspect drains and rivers and…
