While the Penang state government may be criticised for not following the national slogan, the action taken by the federal departments smacks of over-reaction and excessive politicising.

After all, the federal slogan is not the national slogan but is coined by the Barisan government without consulting the state governments. Since 2010, the Penang state government had its own state slogan, especially after the ‘Janji Ditepati’, which was obviously a Barisan political slogan, was used by the federal government one year.

This year’s slogan ‘Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah’ is not a controversial slogan and has been promoted by the Barisan government itself in the past and is still used by the Police Department. The Barisan government is obviously oversensitive with the word ‘Bersih’, which happens to be the name of the People's Protest movement. It is obviously more disturbed with the recent allegations of corruption and money politics involving Barisan leaders.

It is fair to criticise the Penang state government for having its own slogan but the boycott of the state Merdeka celebrations is certainly unwarranted and high-handed on the part of the federal government.