KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has come under fire from MCA over his ultimatum to “personally educate” a hardware shop owner on how to hoist the national flag.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said respect for the Jalur Gemilang was not in question but stressed that enforcement must be based on the rule of law, not political ultimatums or personal threats.
“We do not run this country on arbitrary deadlines set by politicians,” he said in a Facebook post Tuesday (Aug 12).
He warned that public intimidation of this kind could backfire, discouraging people from flying the flag altogether for fear of making mistakes.
“No flags mean no mistakes and that would be a sad outcome for our Merdeka spirit,” the Ayer Hitam MP added.
Dr Wee urged leaders to inspire patriotism through education, example, and lawful action rather than acting as “self-appointed enforcers” or turning mistakes into political stunts.
“Let the authorities do their job, and let us keep politics off the flagpole,” he said.
Dr Akmal, in a social media post, alleged the shop had flown the Jalur Gemilang upside down, calling it an insult to the dignity of the nation.
He said he will give the authorities until Wednesday (Aug 13) to act and if they failed to do so, he would teach the shop owner how to hoist the flag properly.
