Malaysians abroad claim no disrespect to flag or country

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Malaysian students abroad who were photographed with an upside-down Jalur Gemilang have apologised for their behaviour.

They claimed they did it not out of disrespect for the nation or because they did not love the country's flag but only to express their dissatisfaction of the just-concluded general election that they alleged was carried out in an undemocratic way.

They said this in a joint-statement, published by Sin Chew Dailyyesterday.

“We do not go against our country or do not love our country. (We) also do not have any other agenda.

“Even though we are living abroad, we always care about situation in our country. (We) need a democratic and clean country which has a better future,” they said.

They hoped that Malaysians would “understand their feeling”.

Their act of holding the flag upside-down and showing lewd gestures had been criticised as “rude and arrogant” as well as an attempt to provoke anger among Malaysians.

The photograph showing the group spread via Facebook since Tuesday and had sparked anger from various parties.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities Malaysia president Lee Ser Chong said that the federation did not agree with the move by the students as their act showed disrespect to the country.

“Maybe the students are too young. They did not know that their move was disrespectful to the country,” he said.

Lee said the federation hoped that students abroad could understand the real meaning behind the Jalur Gemilang and not simply show disrespect to the country's national flag.