Flag gaffes and glass houses

Malaysiakini

21 hours ago

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Key Highlights
Flag gaffes and glass houses
Fadhlina whacked from three corners
Fly syndicate unswattable
Flag gaffes and glass houses
There's a saying that those living in glass houses should not throw stones.
Terengganu Umno Youth posted a social media graphic that contained a botched Jalur Gemilang, which had just 12 stripes instead of 14.
Ironically, the error was made while trying to criticise the Penang hardware store that had displayed the Malaysian flag upside-down.
Meanwhile, a 2023 photo of Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh and others holding the Palestinian flag upside down also resurfaced.
Akmal, however, did not take this as a lesson that humans are fallible and prone to error.
Instead, he doubled down on his position and asked police to take action against Terengganu Umno Youth for their flag blunder.
Akmal is also going ahead with his plans to "visit" the Penang hardware store, where DAP members and other critics who stand against him will be waiting.
HIGHLIGHTS
Fadhlina whacked from three corners
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek came under fire from three different sides: the opposition, activists, and government backbenchers.
PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden landed the first blow, saying Fadhlina was unfit as education minister for failing to address bullying in schools.
He said Mara chairperson Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki is doing a better job at handling such issues.
The next hit came from a group of student activists who wanted to hand the minister a memorandum on school bullying in the wake of the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Fadhlina reportedly promised to accept the memorandum in person, but instead sent a representative.
The activists questioned whether Fadhlina considered the matter important.
Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli delivered the final blow, criticising the education minister for leading schoolchildren to chant birthday wishes for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a school event.
He said this defiled schools as a politically neutral space.
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Fly syndicate unswattable
The "fly syndicate" that falsifies immigration records is still operating with impunity despite an ongoing probe by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC).
Sources told Malaysiakini that one of the masterminds, "DK" has merely handed over the reins to his younger brother.
Meanwhile, another source from the Immigration Department in Putrajaya told Malaysiakini that officers within the department who are colluding with the syndicate remain untouchable, despite being detained with solid evidence.
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