Flag Fiasco Zaid Asks Will Minister Be Detained Don Hopes Not

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Zaid Ibrahim questioned if Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will face police action over the latest national flag blunder, while academic Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi hoped she does not meet the same fate as the Sin Chew Daily editors.
“Whose head is going to roll over this? I’m sure certain groups will claim that an apology isn’t enough,” said the former law minister.
“So, will the minister be detained? Will top ministry officials be suspended? As the saying goes, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” Zaid told Malaysiakini.
He cited the incident involving Sin Chew, which published an image of the Jalur Gemilang without the crescent moon, that triggered a flurry of police reports and led to two senior editorial staff being detained for questioning.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also emphasised the seriousness of that error but cautioned against an overreaction.
Zaid (above, left) also made a sarcastic remark in response to the Education Ministry’s directive for students to wear the Jalur Gemilang on their uniforms, claiming it would foster national pride and patriotism.
Education Minister Fadhlina SidekHe suggested that the badges should also be worn by Fadhlina and her ministry staff.
“This might help them remember what the Jalur Gemilang actually looks like and avoid future misadventures,” he added.
Becoming a racial issue
Meanwhile, Tajuddin, who earlier criticised the actions taken against the editors, said he hoped the minister would not face a similar fate.
“I do hope the minister herself won’t be arrested like the Sin Chew editors. Or will this become a ‘Malay vs Chinese’ issue - with the ministry representing one group and Sin Chew the other?
“As I have said before, we should be more mature and learn to accept our human frailties. Unless, of course, we’re like the veteran politicians who are already at the peak of their knowledge and can no longer learn or feel anything,” he told Malaysiakini.
While Tajuddin did not name names, his remarks are believed to be directed at Umno veterans and Perkasa, who had earlier demanded that the architecture professor renounce his citizenship.
Education Ministry’s SPM Analysis Report with the erroneous flagsThis was in response to Tajuddin’s article in Malaysiakini, where he expressed shame in being Malaysian following the detention of the Sin Chew editors.
Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that the Education Ministry has apologised over the national flag snafu.
This comes after its SPM Analysis Report, released today, contained an erroneous Jalur Gemilang.
A graphic showed students in a classroom, with a Jalur Gemilang with two stars instead of one hanging on a wall. - Mkini

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