Latest news with #EmblemsandNamesAct
Focus Malaysia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Zaid chides PMX for 'appearing paralysed' when the Chinese come under siege by Akmal
THE latest wave of anti-Chinese sentiment from UMNO Youth over the flag and other manufactured outrages should have been the moment Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or PMX, stood firm and drew a line. Instead, he appears paralysed, as if forgetting that Chinese votes carried him into Putrajaya. One stark trait of our PM is his reluctance to step into national controversies. He cherry-picks his sound bites on safer ground or not at all. On this, he has been an utter disappointment. Equally baffling is the response of Chinese parties in government. They endure repeated insults and provocations from UMNO Youth with stoic silence, yet spring instantly into outrage at PAS' religious rhetoric. This selective sensitivity betrays a warped sense of priorities. If unity is truly the goal, then surely the poison of racial hostility deserves equal, if not greater, urgency. UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Salleh is, clearly, a member of the untouchable elite; no different from the Sabah politicians or the celebrity preachers Zamri Vinoth and Firdaus Wong. Fortunately, we have LFL's Zaid Malek as a lone voice of reason, filling the vacuum left by our PM's silence. On Thursday (Aug 14), a row of shops in Kepala Batas was forced to close early as Akmal led a 'flag inspection' rally targeting a hardware store where its owner, Feng Jin Zhen, was filmed holding the Malaysian flag upside down. Police cordoned off the area, while lawyers for Zaid attended to defend the owner from harassment. Akmal, dismissing Feng's explanation as accidental, branded the act 'traitorous' and urged supporters to join him in 'teaching' the shop owners how to hang the flag. Police are investigating under the Emblems and Names Act and related laws. Akmal gave his statement to police at the Dang Wangi IPD over last Thursday's Kepala Batas assembly. His lawyer said Akmal cooperated fully, answering about 80 questions. He is being investigated under the Sedition Act, the Penal Code (criminal intimidation), and the Communications and Multimedia Act. Afterward, Akmal addressed supporters outside the IPD, pledging full cooperation with the investigation. — Aug 16, 2025 Main photo credit: Malaysiakini
Focus Malaysia
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Akmal plans Penang trip to ‘teach' apek how to hang the Jalur Gemilang properly
UMNO Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said he would visit a Penang hardware shop on Monday after its owner, Feng Jin Zhen, was filmed holding the Malaysian flag upside down. Although Feng claimed it was unintentional while measuring a pole, Akmal dismissed the explanation, calling the men involved 'traitors' and inviting supporters to join him at the shop to 'teach' them how to hang the flag properly, using the term ah pek for the two elderly Chinese men. 'I'm coming this Monday, and I want to invite all my friends from across Malaysia to come to this ah pek's shop at 12 noon. 'We'll go to his shop on the condition that we bring the Malaysian flag so we can teach these two ah pek how to properly put up the Malaysian flag. 'So, you two ah pek, wait for me to come and teach you how to put up the Malaysian flag,' Akmal said in a Facebook post. A 20-second video of a man holding the Malaysian flag upside down went viral after being posted on Facebook, later shared by Akmal, urging government action against them. The Merlimau assemblyman sarcastically questioned if the men were PWDs, referencing a past DAP claim that a similar flag incident involved a disabled person. Police are investigating the case under multiple laws, including the Emblems and Names Act, the Minor Offences Act, and the Communications and Multimedia Act. —Aug 10, 2025 Main image: Free Malaysia Today
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
CPI MP writes to president alleging misuse of governor's office in opposition-ruled states
New Delhi, CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu alleging "misuse' of gubernatorial authority in the opposition-ruled states. Mentioning a recent incident in Kerala where a portrait of 'Bharat Mata' was used at an event at the Raj Bhavan, leading to a boycott of the function by a state minister, Kumar expressed serious concern over the "continued misuse of gubernatorial authority in the opposition-ruled states". Kumar said it was most recently reflected in the conduct of the Kerala governor during the Environment Day celebrations at the Raj Bhavan, where a "particular version of the Bharat Mata image" was displayed without consulting the state government. "The arbitrary imposition of a particular version of the Bharat Mata image – without consultation with the elected government – forced Agriculture Minister P Prasad to boycott the event," Kumar said. Claiming that it was not an isolated episode, the CPI leader said, 'We are witnessing a pattern where governors in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu repeatedly act as political agents, converting Raj Bhavans into ideological outposts of the RSS, disregarding constitutional norms, federal principles and the mandate of democratically elected governments.' He alleged that the Kerala incident also "potentially contravened" the Emblems and Names Act, 1950, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, "by misusing national symbols for political or sectarian purposes". "The Bharat Mata image, originally envisioned by Abanindranath Tagore during the Swadeshi movement as a unifying emblem of anti-colonial resistance, has in recent years been altered and weaponised by an organisation notorious for its divisive politics. 'It is unacceptable that such reimagined and controversial symbols are now being forced upon official functions and public institutions, further polarising our society," Kumar alleged. The CPI leader urged the president to "take serious note of this trend and take immediate steps to ensure that governors do not overstep their constitutional mandate". The presence of a Bharat Mata portrait, allegedly associated with RSS 'shakhas', at a World Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday led to the state government boycotting the programme. Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad, who boycotted the event, said while the state government respects Bharat Mata, using an image commonly associated with RSS 'shakhas' for an official function at the Raj Bhavan was 'unconstitutional'. In a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said, "Whatever be the pressure from whichever quarters, there will be no compromise whatsoever on Bharat Mata."
