Akmal Saleh: I Will Educate This ‘Ah Pek’ On How To Raise The Flag

A hardware store owner in Kepala Batas, Penang, was recently arrested for hoisting the Jalur Gemilang upside down in front of his establishment.

The 59-year-old man was allegedly measuring the length of an iron pole and didn’t realise the flag had been installed upside down.

Speaking out about the viral incident on Facebook, UMNO Youth chief Akmal Saleh rushed authorities to charge the hardware store owner by this coming Wednesday (13 August).

“If there are no charges on this individual by Wednesday, then God willing on Thursday I will go and give a class to educate this ‘ah pek’ on how to properly hoist the flag,” he said, using a term for Chinese people to refer to the store owner.

The Merlimau assemblyman then mentioned that he had intended to meet the hardware store owner, who was released on bail, yesterday (11 August) but is “giving the matter some space” to “let justice do its work”.

“Let this individual be charged and face justice in court. We respect the law. We will wait for the prosecutor to charge him. And hopefully, he will get charged under a Section of the law that gives a heavier penalty to this troublemaker,” Akmal added.

What happens when you fly the Jalur Gemilang upside down?

There are rules to how the Jalur Gemilang should be displayed, according to the Information Department (JaPen) and should anyone violate the terms, they could be penalised under these Acts:

Act 414 – Emblems and Names (Preventions of Improper Use) Act 1963

Act 193 – National Emblems (Control of Display) Act 1949.

Any individual who contravenes Section 3 of Act 414 is committing an offence, and upon conviction, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM1,000.

For the National Emblems (Control of Display) Act 1949, any who violate the terms may be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, a fine not exceeding RM500 or both, if in the case of a person other than a corporate body.

Rules for displaying the Jalur Gemilang

JaPen published a simple infographic on how to fly the Malaysian flag correctly and within specifications of the law. It must be displayed horizontally and never upside down or vertically.

Additionally, there is a PDF document published by the government with more details on how to display the Jalur Gemilang on cars, arrangement when displayed with other flags, and even the colour codes.