PKR MP urges Zahid, Loke to defuse escalating national flag fiasco

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke have been urged to act swiftly to defuse tensions over the ongoing national flag controversy.

PKR central leadership council member Lee Chean Chung said the issue was spiralling out of control and called on both leaders to meet as soon as possible - whether by summoning their respective youth wings or issuing a joint statement - to find common ground and calm public sentiment.

The Petaling Jaya lawmaker also drew parallels to the “KK Mart Socks” incident last year, warning that the current dispute could escalate if left unchecked.

“There is still room to cool things down. Both sides should quickly find a way to do so. Quickly!” Lee (above) stressed on Facebook today.

The latest flag blunder went viral on social media yesterday after a Facebook account under the name Nazirul Hafiz posted a 20-second video, in which a man is seen carrying the flag upside down on a pole, while another man records him.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh then shared the clip and lambasted the individuals, calling them “traitors” to the country and urged the government to take action against them.

The Umno Youth media secretariat has sent out invitations to the “Maruah Tanah Airku” rally, which will be held at the store in Kepala Batas at noon tomorrow.

This came after an earlier announcement by Akmal, who wants to visit and teach the owner on how to properly put up the Jalur Gemilang.

DAP condemnation

In response, DAP Youth condemned Akmal’s visitation plan as a form of intimidation.

Its chief Woo Kah Leong called out Akmal, whom he said was being hypocritical and practising double standards when dealing with other incidents involving Jalur Gemilang.

He questioned why Akmal had not made a similar move to mobilise the crowd when the Education Ministry and Terengganu PAS chapter made errors when printing images with the national flag.

He urged the Umno leader to let authorities deal with those who break the law.

Yesterday, the store owner explained that he was measuring the length of an iron pole while hanging the national flag and did not notice that the flag was upside down.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident under Section 5 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963, Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988.

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