Akmal Saleh’s Remark On Giving Out OKU Cards Is Deeply Problematic, Here’s Why

DAP Youth chief Yap Yee Vonne called for Akmal to apologise to the OKU community, he responded by saying the opposition youth wing should be given OKU cards too.

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UMNO Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh recently came under fire after he suggested that his critics should be given OKU (persons with disabilities) cards.

This came after a Person with Disabilities (PwD) working at a school in Port Dickson raised Malaysia’s national flag — the Jalur Gemilang — upside down, which initially drew heavy criticism from the public.

Akmal, who is the Merlimau member of parliament, later published a statement on Facebook calling for strict action to be taken against the school, should it be confirmed that the employee who raised the flag was indeed a PwD.

In his statement, Akmal said strict action should be taken against the school because they allowed a PwD worker to raise the flag without supervision and was left without anyone checking on it after it went up.

“We don’t want PwDs or people with mental illness to be an excuse if this sort of thing happens again,” he said in his statement.

“I hope the education ministry will take this matter seriously so that it will be a lesson to all, and I urge the ministry to investigate the PwD. Were they physically or mentally disabled? If the person was mentally disabled, why were they allowed to work on school premises?” he added.

He then called out politicans who he accused of politicising the issue, and stated that the matter is not a question of politics, but about patriotism for the country.

DAP Youth leader called on Akmal to apologise, but he retaliated with a damaging reply

In response to Akmal, DAP Youth (DAPSY) leader Yap Yee Vonne urged him to publicy apologise to the PwD who raised the shcool flag upside down and the entire PwD community as well.

According to Yee, Akmal had offended and insulted the PwD community with his statement.

“Is Akmal trying to say that PwDs have less value? Less qualified? Less able? If Akmal has nothing nice or constructive to say, it’s better he stay quiet,” she said in an article published by Malaysia Gazette.

Responding to this article on Facebook, Akmal said “Please give them a mirror and OKU cards”.

With this remark, Akmal has used people with disabilities as an insult, and has shown no awareness of what he had said, and how problematic it was for the PwD community.

It is this sort of insensitivity that sets a precedent to society in their perception towards persons with disabilities, ultimately normalising the group as a term for insults.

He said the insult was aimed at his critics, not the disabled community

Akmal later hit back at the DAP Youth leader who accused him of insulting the disabled community.

Referring to his Facebook post about giving OKU cards to the DAP Youth leaders, he said the statement was aimed at them and not the PwDs.

“This is why it’s important for Malaysians to understand Bahasa Melayu, which is our national language.

“For DAP Youth’s information, I said I wanted to give a mirror and an OKU card to DAP Youth, not the disabled community,” he said.

Hey.

I am disabled, and it IS a fucking insult. https://t.co/CwOumNn0Ko
— hasbee offline, for real ♿🧠🦻 | #AmendAktaOKU (@hasbeemasputra) August 6, 2025