Latest news with #UMNOYouthTerengganu
Focus Malaysia
6 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Citizen alert: Hoist Malaysian flag at your own peril this 68th Merdeka Day 'unless we learn from China'
FALL-OUT from the upside-down flag issue continues. As the scenario gets ever more heated, one consequence is that Malaysians have become wary of hoisting the Jalur Gemilang for Merdeka celebrations. The fear of unforeseen repercussions from right-wing nationalists and public backlash online has prompted many to think twice about displaying their patriotism. This was highlighted by a post on X by Annoyed Malaysian (@annoyedmalaysian) who hinted at selective persecution. Advice to M'sian Chinese & Indians, from now onwards do not touch anything that has the Jalur Gemilang. Your flag got one small stain also UMNO gangsters will show up at your door & police will arrest you lol. 😊 — Annoyed Malaysian 🇲🇾 (@annoyedmsian) August 10, 2025 'Advice to Malaysian Chinese and Indians – from now onwards don't touch anything that has the Jalur Gemilang,' the self-confessed liberal secularist warned: 'Your flag got one small stain also UMNO gangsters will show up at your door and police will arrest you.' The current affairs observer also highlighted several incidents that have gone unpunished. An image of an upside down Jalur Gemilang hoisted in the apparent vicinity of the Kota Damansara Mosque was attached. The UMNO Youth Terengganu's gaffe in using a Jalur Gemilang that had the wrong number of stripes in a social media post was also appended. Both were used by the poster to ask the seemingly pertinent question – 'why only the Chinese are accused of wrongly displaying the Jalur Gemilang?' One commenter reflected his sense of unease at wanting to show his patriotism, claiming UMNO has 'kidnapped the flag'. Instead, he will keep his love for Malaysia in his heart for fear of reprisals. This was a clever electoral ploy by UMNO, claimed one commenter, by painting the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition as weak and unable to react accordingly in protecting the non-Malays which forms a strong base for its support. He predicts that this ploy is with the aim of challenging PH as direct rivals in the next general election. However, one commenter asked why not encourage Chinese and Indian citizens to fly the flag correctly instead of asking to refrain from doing so. Isn't the flag as symbol of unity? To which the poster conceded that this was, indeed, a great idea (though he has not modified his post to reflect this). To put the current state of affairs into perspective, another poster shared on X how such a scenario was handled in a rather professional and sem fuss manner in China. A short clip showed two policemen seeing a flag hoisted wrongly in front of a business premise. Instead of threats of arrest or some other brouhaha, the two officers simply corrected the flag and gave it a respectful salute once it was the right way up. What to do if we found an upside down JALUR GEMILANG. Peace, anas. — Anas Zubedy (@AnasZubedy) August 11, 2025 One commenter pointed out that in Malaysia the priority was to viral the image or video while highlighting the absurdity of the situation – 'make accusations, hire lawyers, politicise the issue, organise peaceful protest in front of Sogo shopping complex, march to Istana Negara for audience with the Agong, before finally rectifying the upside-down flag'. Lamenting that too many keyboard warriors were spreading messages of hate in Malaysia, one commenter argued that this would be a sensible and mature attitude to have. As the fallout continues, one must wonder what does the Jalur Gemilang represent? Is it a symbol unity or has it been hijacked and weaponised by the right-wingers into a symbol of victimisation and oppression? – Aug 13, 2025
![[Watch] Akmal Salleh Demands Prosecution in Kepala Batas Flag Blunder, His Own Team Botches Flag In FB Post](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therakyatpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F08%2FUntitled10.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Watch] Akmal Salleh Demands Prosecution in Kepala Batas Flag Blunder, His Own Team Botches Flag In FB Post](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ftherakyatpost.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Rakyat Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Rakyat Post
[Watch] Akmal Salleh Demands Prosecution in Kepala Batas Flag Blunder, His Own Team Botches Flag In FB Post
Subscribe to our FREE Just days after UMNO Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh launched a fiery crusade against a Malaysian Chinese hardware store owner for accidentally hanging the Malaysian flag upside down, his own Terengganu division managed to botch the Jalur Gemilang – posting an image with only 12 stripes instead of the official 14. The timing couldn't be more perfect for a masterclass in political hypocrisy. While Akmal was busy threatening to storm the Penang shop, demanding prosecutions and whipping up racial tensions over an honest mistake that was quickly corrected, his own team also made a mistake. Terengganu UMNO Youth chief Tengku Haphiz Tengku Putera admitted the 'unintentional' error in a Facebook statement, taking full responsibility for the design blunder. 'We will not defend the designer although he did it for free,' he said – a luxury not extended to the 59-year-old shopkeeper who faced threats of protests and prosecution. Akmal's Damage Control: Trying to Have It Both Ways When confronted with his own team's flag blunder, Akmal posted a defensive response on Facebook. He began by dismissing his critics as idiots who hadn't watched his previous video completely, then claimed he would demand the same investigation and heavy punishment for the UMNO Youth Terengganu poster creator as he had for the Chinese shopkeeper. He insisted that regardless of the person being from UMNO Youth, Malay, and Muslim, wrong was still wrong, and the same action should be taken. He concluded by declaring that he wasn't a hypocrite like 'their gang', but his attempt at appearing consistent fell flat. While he claimed to demand 'the same action,' there were no actual threats of storming the Terengganu UMNO office, no calls for criminal prosecution, and no mobilisation of protesters. Setting the Record Straight The hardware store owner, Pang Chin Tiang, has since apologised and corrected his display, even expressing his continued love for the country despite the trauma of being targeted. Addressing the misunderstanding, he clarified that it was merely due to measuring the pole length during the setup. His dignified response turned what could have been a divisive incident into an unexpected display of Malaysian unity. With a dedication spanning over 10 years, Pang has Political Leaders Weigh In: A Call for Dignity The controversy drew attention from Loke, who is also Transport Minister, called the threats to protest at the elderly man's shop 'blatant bullying' that was utterly unacceptable. He argued that the Attorney General should make decisions without being influenced by political pressure. DAP also announced they would sponsor a giant Malaysian flag for the shop and distribute 831 free flags to anyone who tried to cause trouble there. READ MORE: READ MORE : Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
