‘Let's keep politics off the flagpole'
PETALING JAYA: Parties planning to gather at the Penang shop embroiled in a national flag controversy should halt their plans to avoid risks of confrontation, says the MCA president.
Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) said there is nothing to be gained by having a show of force tomorrow at the shop where the owner is accused of hoisting the Jalur Gemilang upside down.
In telling Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke to call off their plans to get members to gather at the shop, he said nothing good would come out of it.
Dr Wee was referring to DAP's plan to gather tomorrow at the shop in Kepala Batas that became the focus of controversy after the national flag was held upside down.
Dr Akmal had earlier said he would give the authorities until today to act and if they fail to do so, he would give lessons to the shop owner on how to hoist the flag properly.
Following that threat, DAP said it will be mobilising its members in Penang to defend the hardware store from 'troublemakers'.
In another Facebook post after that, Dr Akmal responded to the DAP plan saying that he would be happy to attend the event tomorrow.
However, Dr Wee criticised DAP's plan, warning that it could draw politically-charged crowds to a location already under intense public scrutiny, raising the likelihood of clashes between those with opposing views.
'While the stated intention may be to show solidarity, the reality is that such action will drastically increase the risk of direct confrontation,' Dr Wee said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Dr Wee said public order must be prioritised over political posturing.
'Let us be clear – this is a far greater threat to public order than any statement made online.
'Once tempers flare on the ground, even a minor spark can escalate into something none of us want to see.
'The role of the authorities is not to wait for the clash and then respond – it is to prevent it from happening at all,' he said.
He urged the police to act firmly to ensure Dr Akmal does not proceed with his planned visit to Penang 'under the current tense atmosphere'.
'The correct approach would be for DAP's 40 MPs in government to pressure the Home Minister to ensure the police prevents this planned physical confrontation from taking place.
'Since DAP has failed to do so, I have instructed MCA Youth to lodge a police report immediately, urging the authorities to intervene and issue the necessary warnings to (Dr) Akmal to prevent his presence from escalating the situation and for DAP to cease their on-the-ground posturing,' Dr Wee said.
He stressed that the safety of the people and public harmony must come before 'political mileage or theatrics'.
'MCA will not stand by and watch as our streets are turned into potential battlegrounds.
'We call on all parties to exercise restraint, and on the police to act decisively now before we are forced to deal with the consequences later,' he added.
Last night, the Selangor MCA Youth has lodged a police report at the Petaling Jaya IPD against Dr Akmal and Terengganu Umno Youth over a social media post showing the Jalur Gemilang with only 12 stripes instead of the official 14.
The report also cited Dr Akmal's earlier statement and reported plans to visit the shop in Kepala Batas to 'teach' the owner how to display the flag properly.
A total of six MCA Youth divisions – Petaling Jaya, Bangi, Penang, Hulu Langat, Sekinchan and Pandan – filed four reports.
Earlier in the day, Dr Wee had criticised Dr Akmal for threatening to school the shop owner.
He said political intimidation was the wrong approach because it risked turning patriotism into fear.
'No flags means no mistakes and that would be a sad outcome for our Merdeka spirit,' the Ayer Hitam MP added.
Dr Wee urged leaders to inspire patriotism through education, example and lawful action rather than acting as 'self-appointed enforcers' or turning mistakes into political stunts.
'Let the authorities do their job, and let us keep politics off the flagpole,' he said.
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