Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
On Friday morning (28 Aug) — three days before Merdeka — an unnamed, long-serving elderly employee at the MCA Perak state headquarters in Ipoh raised both the Malaysian national flag and the Perak state flag upside down.
Photos spread across social media within hours.
The flags were taken down and re-hoisted correctly once the mistake was spotted.
By then, the images had already gone viral during the peak of Bulan Kemerdekaan.
Party Takes Full Responsibility; Internal Procedures to Be Overhauled
MCA deputy president and Perak state liaison committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon issued a public apology directed at Sultan Nazrin Shah and all Malaysians.
He stated:
- The error was entirely unintentional, with no malice toward national symbols.
- The party took full responsibility.
- Internal procedures for flag displays would be overhauled.
The elderly staff member, described as deeply remorseful, voluntarily offered his resignation.
MCA accepted it with immediate effect.
Ipoh district police arrived at the premises at approximately 1:00 PM to record statements from the administrative officer and the staff member involved.
MCA confirmed full cooperation with authorities.
“Is That Really All?” — Akmal Challenges MCA Over Flag Incident Response
UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh, in a video posted to his official Facebook page, said MCA’s apology fell short of what the incident warranted.
“I want to ask MCA — is that really all? Are you just going to leave it at that?” he said, adding that “even someone who is not of sound mind would know how to install a flag properly.”
Akmal said the public had grown “bored” of a recurring pattern in which individuals commit offences and immediately seek refuge in an apology, and called on police to conduct a transparent investigation and release their findings publicly.
He also urged the government to introduce heavier penalties for acts of disrespect toward national symbols.
Responding to prior accusations that he applies pressure selectively — bearing down on ordinary citizens while remaining silent on political allies — Akmal said he had been and would remain consistent in his position regardless of the offender’s “skin colour or political colour.”
DAP MP Accuses UMNO Youth Chief of “Cheap Political Stunts”; Points to Similar UMNO Incidents
The MCA incident was not isolated.
At least three other cases of upside-down flag displays were reported across Johor earlier in August, in which individuals — including factory workers and a security guard — were arrested and remanded, and a factory was ordered to shut down temporarily.
Ipoh Timur MP and DAP Central Executive Committee member Howard Lee pushed back against Akmal on Facebook, calling his actions “cheap political stunts” and urging him to “give MCA Perak some breathing space during this Merdeka month.”
Lee accused Akmal of selective outrage, noting that he had conspicuously ignored similar flag blunders within his own ranks—specifically citing UMNO Youth Terengganu—while bearing down on others.
He stopped short of calling it a double standard, saying sarcastically that he was quite certain Akmal “does not place MCA on any kind of standard anyway.”
READ MORE: Fly The Jalur Gemilang Wrong, Lose Your Operating Licence, Johor Factory Finds Out
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.
