Education Ministry Apologises For Two-Star Jalur Gemilang Oversight

This is the third case of a flag snafu in just over a week.

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The bastardisation of Malaysia’s glorious Jalur Gemilang continues through the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) latest Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia’s (SPM) results analysis report, which was released today on 24 April.

An image of a classroom is depicted on the cover page of the report, and over on the top left corner a Malaysian flag is visible. Or at least, what’s supposed to look like the country’s national flag.

In what is probably the worst AI (allegedly) rendition ever, this depiction of the flag contains two stars instead of one, and eight stripes instead of 14.

Well, at least the crescent moon is there this time.

The education ministry has since issued an apology over the gaffe. In a statement, it said printed copies of the report have been recalled and corrections are being made immediately.

“This oversight is unacceptable, as the Jalur Gemilang is a symbol of the country’s pride and sovereignty.

“Immediate and stern action has been taken against all parties involved, and a thorough investigation is currently underway,” the ministry said.

Two local newspapers have already misprinted the national flag in the past week

One would think after a series of country flag-related blunders, organisations would be taking extra caution before printing anything that contains the flag which represents the nation.

Two local Chinese-language newspapers were embroiled in similar controversy just over a week ago.

On 15 April, Sin Chew Daily published an image with the Jalur Gemilang on its front page that was missing the crescent moon. The moon represents Islam, which is the official religion of Malaysia, so you can imagine how that went with the Muslim community, authorities, and even the Agong.

Two days later, on 17 April, another Chinese-language daily printed the flag without the crescent moon and the 14-pointed star missing one point. The points of the star represent each of Malaysia’s 13 states and federal territories.

However, there was speculation that the flag on Kwong Wah Yit Poh’s front page may have not entirely been their fault, as a Twitter user pointed out the image may have been taken from a digital billboard just outside Fahrenheit 88, a shopping mall on Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Some said the mall should be blamed, while others thought the news daily should also be accountable for not double or triple-checking before going to print.

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