KOTA KINABALU: Thefts of the Jalur Gemilang displayed around the city here are troubling officials.
Kota Kinabalu City Mayor Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah said that the flag thefts occur in certain areas shortly after they are put up.
He acknowledged that City Hall faces a significant challenge as flags displayed by local authorities, traders, and villagers often vanish overnight.
"Some premises and commercial buildings display the flag, only to find it missing the next morning.
“We hope that the public will not take the opportunity to damage or steal the flags that have been installed,” he told reporters after distributing flags to traders in the city here to instil the patriotic spirit in conjunction with the National Day celebrations.
Sabin, meanwhile, said that there were no reports or issues involving the Jalur Gemilang being displayed upside down around the city of Kota Kinabalu.
He said that so far there has been no official report regarding the incident and if it did occur, it may have been unintentional.
“The issue of the Jalur Gemilang being displayed upside down has not occurred in Kota Kinabalu. If there has been one, it is more of a technical error, not intentional.
“In fact, the Information Department has also helped provide guidance on how to display the flag correctly,” he added.
Sabin and City Hall director-general Datuk Lifred Wong and other officials distributed the national and Sabah flags to businesses in the city here during the campaign on Saturday (Aug 23).
Sabah marks the National Day along with Sabah Day that is celebrated as the state's self-governance from colonial rule on Aug 31, 1963.
