Groups urge action against A Samad Said over Merdeka eve flag incident

KUALA LUMPUR: The flying of the 'Sang Saka Malaya' flags during Merdeka Day eve celebrations on Friday could be seen as a challenge to national sovereignty, say academicians and political analysts.


 "This is about the country, not politics. I feel that the group has challenged the nation's sovereignty," Universiti Malaysia Perlis Centre for Royal Institutional Studies director Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said.

She was commenting on the You Tube clip circulating on social media sites which showed national laureate A. Samad Said reciting poetry while an angry man burst into the scene and grabbed a few 'Sang Saka Malaya' flags that were put up nearby at Dataran Merdeka on Friday night.
 
The 'Sang Saka Malaya' is a red and white flag with 12 yellow stars set in four columns reportedly proposed as Malaya's national flag by an association in the 1940s. 

Commenting on the involvement of Samad Said, Ramlah said that as a matured and respected figure, he should have been more sensitive to the struggles of his predecessors who had fought for the country's independence. 

Several political analysts said the authorities should clamp down on such activities which could spark tension among the people.

They praised the man who was seen grabbing the 'Sang Saka Malaya' flags and crumpling them up while pointing to the massive Jalur Gemilang fluttering at Dataran Merdeka as the correct one.
 
Universiti Sains Malaysia's deputy dean of the School of Social Sciences Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said a similar incident occurred on the eve of last year's Merdeka Day.
 
"The authorities need to be more assertive in taking action and punish the irresponsible parties, otherwise it will look as though we are recognising the Sang Saka Malaya flag," he said.

Mara University of Technology Faculty of Media Communication Studies senior lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Ismail Sualman, said that the blatant action clearly demonstrated the lack of enforcement by authorities.
 
 "Leaders can change from time to time ... but efforts to change the flag is mindless. No country has ever done it, as the national flag is the most important symbol of any country," he said.
 
Gagasan Pendidikan Melayu Malaysia secretary-general Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad urged the government to revoke the national laureate title conferred on A. Samad Said.
 
 "The government is the one who conferred the title on him, but he (A.Samad Said) constantly disputes their policies. He should be a role model instead," he said. 

A similar incident involving the 'Sang Saka Malaya' flag took place on the eve of last year's Merdeka Day, following which more than 400 police reports were lodged. 

Although some cases were investigated under the Sedition Act, no suspects have been charged so far. - Bernama