T'ganu Umno Youth says sorry, claims designer 'affected' by flag blunders

Summary

• Terengganu Umno Youth chief Tengku Haphiz Tengku Putera has apologised for a poster featuring an incorrectly designed Malaysian flag.

• He attributes the error to the designer being “affected” by recent flag gaffes.

The Terengganu Umno Youth chief has apologised following a flag design blunder which depicted the number of stripes inaccurately.

Posting on Facebook, Tengku Haphiz Tengku Putera said the designer responsible for the poster containing the erroneous flag was “affected” by recent flag-related blunders, which led to his own mistake.

The error on the flag used in a poster seeking justice for 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir was noticed by eagle-eyed internet users.

The original graphic was deleted at 12.55pm today, and replaced with a new graphic containing the correct number of stripes on the Jalur Gemilang.

‘Error unintentional, leaving it to authorities’

“Firstly, I would like to thank all Malaysians who gave us constructive criticism. Terengganu  Umno Youth takes the position that we will not compromise on this mistake, and, in line with Dr Akmal’s call, we urge the relevant authorities to carry out an investigation,” Haphiz said, referring to Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh.

“For your information, the designer who created this poster was affected by the recent issue involving the inverted Jalur Gemilang, and coincidentally, his own oversight was unintentional.

“That said, I do not intend to defend him, even though he provided his services to us free of charge, and we had uploaded the poster to our page.

“We leave it to the relevant authorities to investigate, and I want to reiterate that we will not compromise on this matter.

“I take full responsibility as the Terengganu Umno Youth chief to apologise.

“I also urge all political leaders and youth wing leaders to stand together with Umno Youth on the issue of the Jalur Gemilang,” Haphiz said.

He added that the issue is not about Umno, but the nation and the dignity of the national flag.

Unabashed Akmal

After demanding action against a Penang shopkeeper for hoisting the Malaysian flag upside down, Akmal found himself in an awkward position when his own Terengganu Umno Youth produced a poster with incorrect flag stripes.

However, in a Facebook video post, Akmal declared that he will continue his campaign against the desecration of the Jalur Gemilang, urging authorities to investigate and prosecute the Youth wing member responsible for the poster.

In the video, Akmal also branded DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke a “hypocrite”, accusing him of failing to apply his own standards to the flag blunder issue.

Akmal also used racial overtones in an “us against them” analogy, alleging that the DAP, MCA and similar groups will stick together despite differing political beliefs, after he received brickbats from both parties.

Earlier, the DAP said that it would be mobilising its members in Penang to defend a hardware store that made a flag-related error from troublemakers.

Loke said DAP members will be armed with Malaysian flags, which they will hand out as a sign of unity.

“If there is anyone who tried to disturb the peace at the premises, Penang DAP members will greet them by handing out 831 Jalur Gemilang for free as a sign of unity in conjunction with (National Day) on Aug 31,” he said in a statement today.

Loke was believed to be referring to Akmal, who threatened to stage a protest outside the hardware store in Kepala Batas on Thursday if the shop owner was not charged for hoisting the Malaysian flag upside down in a viral 20-second video.

Tinderbox

Akmal, in response to Loke, thanked him for DAP’s flag initiative, saying that Loke too was “more or less trying to teach that shopkeeper how to put up the flag properly”.

He said he had heard that DAP supporters planned to welcome him and other Umno Youth members on Thursday, and therefore, he intends to show up at the hardware store. 

He added that he was curious to see what kind of reception they would receive, and that they, too, would bring flags to distribute as part of a shared effort to raise awareness.

Following the exchange between Umno and DAP, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said he had instructed the party’s youth wing to lodge a police report, citing concerns over potential unrest on Thursday, when DAP and Umno members meet in Penang.

Wee also criticised both parties for heightening tensions instead of working to defuse them.

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