'Bring it on': Akmal to Penang DAP Youth on cutting political ties

Summary

• Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh says to “bring it on” amid Penang DAP Youth’s call to cut political ties with him.

• Akmal says DAP, when they were in opposition, had similarly defied police orders not to gather to protest on matters they championed.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh appears unfazed by Penang DAP Youth’s call to cut political ties with him, instead challenging his fellow government ally to “bring it on” amid tensions over an inverted national flag blunder.

The Merlimau assemblyperson asserted that a move by DAP to pull the plug on political ties with him would be akin to breaking off relations with the entire Umno Youth wing - and by extension, the BN linchpin itself.

“Bring it on,” Akmal said in a brief Facebook post today, attaching a screenshot of a news article on Penang DAP Youth’s call issued earlier this morning.

The call was made following Akmal’s protest against a hardware store owner in Kepala Batas, Penang, yesterday, after the businessperson was caught on video hanging a Jalur Gemilang upside down.

After the incident went viral on social media, the store owner, Pang Chin Tian, claimed 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.

While police had confirmed an investigation into the incident and urged all parties to be patient, Akmal had persisted in leading a group of Umno Youth members to gather in front of the implicated store, with Bersatu Youth members also joining the protest.

The protest, which saw the participation of about 300 people, came after Akmal had earlier threatened to show up at the store and “educate” Pang if authorities did not file charges against him by Wednesday.

Accusing Akmal of acting against the coalition government’s inclusive principle, Penang DAP Youth argued that the Malacca state exco had “abused” the issue in a “gangster act” as a cheap political stunt for his personal political mileage.

Defiant Akmal

Responding to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s directive for the party’s youth wing to lodge nationwide police reports against Akmal, the latter stood firm in defending yesterday’s “peaceful” gathering.

“Want to lodge police reports? Bring it on, I’m ready to cooperate.

“(Am I) afraid of you? Not at all!” Akmal added in a separate Facebook post.

He also highlighted that when DAP was part of the opposition, it had similarly defied the police’s orders not to hold gatherings on matters it had championed then.

“Could you also have been charged then for going against a police chief’s orders? You even overturned cars and stomped on pictures of government leaders’ faces at the time.

“We gathered peacefully, and not a single picture of your leaders was stomped on yesterday,” Akmal said.

Earlier, Loke stressed that Akmal’s choice to resort to “intimidation and bullying” has not helped resolve tensions over the flag blunder.

Loke said the police reports against Akmal will be filed under several provisions of the Penal Code, including newly introduced anti-bullying laws, namely Section 507B for harassment and causing a victim distress, fear, and anxiety, as well as Section 507C for uttering words with the same effect.

‘Cheap and childish’

Separately, DAP central executive committee member Yeo Bee Yin said the fiasco has caused the Jalur Gemilang, a symbol of national unity, to be tainted with fear and division.

“Instead of promoting unity, Akmal has chosen to spotlight only the mistakes of a specific community while ignoring similar blunders made by himself and his own ranks, including Terengganu Umno Youth.

“This selective outrage is a glaring display of how cheap and childish he is,” said the Puchong MP in a statement on Facebook.

Earlier this month, Terengganu Umno Youth published an error on the national flag in a poster seeking justice for deceased teen Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Akmal responded by urging authorities to investigate and prosecute the Terengganu Umno Youth member responsible.

Yeo went on to say that Akmal’s actions reeked of a need to seek attention as well as a reliance on “cheap tactics” that deepen divisions within the country.

She attached a photo of Akmal wearing a t-shirt with only 12 stripes on the Jalur Gemilang to further illustrate her point.

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