HOME Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has called for calm over cases involving the unintentional display of the Jalur Gemilang upside-down, warning against exaggerating such incidents to the point where it discourages the public from flying the national flag.
Speaking at the Ministry of Home Affairs community outreach programme on Saturday, Saifuddin assured that law enforcement would act only if deliberate disrespect is proven.
“If there are parties who purposely commit the act and it is reported, the police will naturally take appropriate action under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963 and the Minor Offences Act 1955,” he said.
“In the course of investigations, we will determine whether the mistake was intentional—whether there was intent to mock or a clear lack of patriotism, or an intention to stir unease among the public.
“If investigations prove such intent, then action will be taken in accordance with the law. But if it is found to be an honest mistake, of course we do not want the matter to be blown out of proportion,” Saifuddin added.
He emphasised that hoisting the Jalur Gemilang, especially during Merdeka month, remains a meaningful act of patriotism and should be encouraged among all Malaysians.
Separately, Saifuddin reaffirmed the ministry’s readiness to reopen investigations into the 2013 death of tahfiz student Wan Ahmad Faris Wan Abdul Rahman, believed to have been murdered at a religious school in Kok Lanas, Kelantan.
“We are prepared to revisit the case, meaning to bring the file back to the Attorney General’s Chambers for further action. I leave it to the police to decide the next course,” he said.
Saifuddin added that the principle guiding such decisions is “to seek truth and uphold justice in accordance with the rule of law”, citing a similar approach taken in the recent case of Zara Qairina Mahathir. - August 23, 2025
