UMNO Youth holds 200-person protest outside store embroiled in upside-down flag scandal

A rally led by Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh on Aug. 14 drew over 200 people to a hardware store in Kepala Batas, Penang.

The rally was sparked by a recent controversy where the Malaysian flag, also known as the Jalur Gemilang, was being displayed upside down at the store.

Upside-down flag controversy

In a 21-second clip circulating on social media, the 59-year-old hardware store owner, Pang Chin Tian, could be seen hoisting the Malaysian flag upside-down on a metal pole outside the shop.

The video sparked public outrage.

According to The Star, the police revealed that they had received 38 reports on the incident nationwide.

Pang was detained on Aug. 9 to assist in investigations but was later released on bail on Aug. 10.

He insisted that the move was an unintentional mistake and took full responsibility for the incident, Malay Mail reported.

He also vowed to be more careful in the future when displaying the national flag.

"Once we realised the mistake, we corrected it immediately. Unfortunately, the viral video only showed part of the incident," Pang added.

Rally led by Akmal

On Aug. 14, Akmal led over 200 supporters from Umno Youth, Bersatu Youth and Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) on a 1.4 kilometre march through Kepala Batas to the barricaded row of shop lots where Pang's store is located, The Star reported.

They chanted "Merdeka", "Sayang Malaysia" and "Pertahan Jalur Merdeka" while waving the Malaysian flag and singing the Malaysian national anthem.

Akmal insisted that the rally was peaceful and "not about politics or race". Instead, it was about respect for the country.

"We are not here to bully anyone. We are here to make it clear that there cannot be such incidents as our flag is sacred," he said.

Akmal had earlier threatened in a post on Facebook to personally "educate" the store owner if no charges were filed.

Counter protest by Lawyers For Liberty

According to The Star, before the rally ended, a Lawyers For Liberty (LFL) team led by director Zaid Malek turned up with placards saying "Jangan Membuli" and "Jangan Bersikap Zionis", meaning "Don't Bully" and "Don't be Zionist" respectively.

Zaid said that what Akmal and his supporters were doing was an act of intimidation.

"His call to have the hardware shop owner charged amounts to bullying and harassment. They hurled all sorts of accusations at the hardware store owner about the upside-down flag incident. Of course, the owner would be scared," Zaid added.

This resulted in a verbal altercation between the two parties, prompting police to step in and disperse the crowd.

According to Sin Chew Daily, police had also deployed five trucks, as well as a water cannon vehicle to barricade and protect the shops.

Businesses were also forced to close early as a safety precaution.

Police initially advised that the rally be cancelled

The Star reported that Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail had earlier warned that the rally could endanger public safety and advised all parties to cancel.

"In the interest of preserving community safety and preventing confrontations between groups, we advise that the gathering on Thursday be called off."

Penang DAP lodged police report on the rally

Penang Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Steven Sim Chee Keong announced that the party would be lodging a police report against Akmal for allegedly organising an illegal gathering in defiance of police orders, Malay Mail reported.

"The rally by Akmal Saleh and his group is a violation of the law and a provocation that threatens public order," Sim said.

According to The Star, investigations into the upside-down flag incident are currently ongoing.

"The investigation was submitted to the Deputy Public Prosecutor on Monday (Aug. 11) and is now under review."

Top photos via Akmal Saleh/Facebook, @historyadventure79/TikTok