Unfazed, Akmal says this is a gathering for Jalur Gemilang

Despite ongoing court proceedings and widespread public criticism against him, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh remains undeterred in his fight to uphold the “dignity” of the Jalur Gemilang.

Addressing a crowd of supporters who gathered outside the Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court, the Merlimau assemblyperson thanked them for showing up to demonstrate the rakyat’s “solidarity” with his efforts.

“This is a solidarity (gathering) not for me, but for our Jalur Gemilang. I will take full responsibility and am not afraid to face the charges against me,” Akmal said to rounds of cheers and chants of “Takbir!”.

“I’d like to ask all citizens not to be afraid to speak out against any wrongdoing (regarding the national flag). The charge against me today is meant to scare you, (but) believe me, I will bear responsibility for it,” he added. 

Claiming that the charge against him was an attempt to intimidate, Akmal warned authorities against assuming that he would be frightened into silence.

“I would like to tell (those who brought the charge against him): Don’t dream that I would be afraid,” he said, inciting another round of applause from his supporters.

“Believe me, this will be the turning point for the people’s awakening to cherish our national symbol, which is no small matter as it represents the dignity of all of us as Malaysians. 

“This country does not belong to me alone. It is not just a country for Malays or Chinese - it belongs to all of us as Malaysians,” he stressed.

Threatening public order charge

Akmal had earlier pleaded not guilty to a charge of making statements likely to cause fear or alarm to the public, in relation to a social media post linked to a recent upside-down national flag incident.

The charge against him is framed under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, which provides for a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The court allowed bail of RM5,000 in one surety, following an appeal by Akmal’s legal team, which consists of eight lawyers who are also Umno Youth members. 

The court fixed Sept 22 for document submission.

According to Akmal’s defence team, the post related to the charge against him concerns a Facebook video he had uploaded on Aug 11, calling for action against a hardware store owner who had hung the Jalur Gemilang upside down in Kepala Batas, Penang.

Last week, Akmal led a crowd of over 100 protesters, including members of Umno and Bersatu’s youth wings, to “educate” the businessperson after no charges were brought against the individual before the deadline set by Akmal. 

Akmal had stressed then that the gathering was held peacefully and aimed to send a clear message that Malaysians will not tolerate disrespect toward the national symbol.

Simultaneously, advocacy group Lawyers for Liberty staged a counter-protest to protect the hardware store owner, Pang Chin Tian, from harassment.

Police had launched an investigation into Pang, with the man released on bail after he was arrested as part of the probe initiated following the circulation of a 21-second video showing Pang and another man allegedly hoisting the national flag upside down.

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