PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged certain parties not to go overboard with the upside down Jalur Gemilang incident and exploit it for their own political agendas.
Representing the Batu Kawan DAP of which he is the chairman, Chow said they too viewed the recent flying of the national flag upside down as something serious.
“However, it is best to leave the matter to the authorities concerned and not sensationalise it to achieve political mileage,” he stressed.
He said there is also an urgent need among all Malaysians to know how to hoist and fly the national flag.
Recently, a hardware shop in neighbouring Bertam, Kepala Batas was the centre of controversy after a video of its worker trying to hoist the flag upside down in the initial attempt went viral over social media.
Among the first to respond was Umno Youth head Dr Akmal Salleh, who condemned the attempt, and said he wanted to come over and "educate" the shop owners and workers on the proper way of flying the Jalur Gemilang.
Chow said that the DAP Batu Kawan branch felt that the incident was exploited politically and if not managed well, it can become negative to nation building.
"We can choose an approach which is humane and humble. For example, we can instead choose to offer advice and firm reminders to various parties so they can learn from their mistakes."
Instead, the incident was made viral and politicians reacted until several police reports were lodged, urging the police to take action against the individuals in the video.
The 59-year-old owner of the premise, has since being detained by the police to facilitate investigations into allegations of disrespecting the national flag.
Chow said that an overreaction does not benefit anyone, especially when the country is striving to promote national unity. – August 12, 2025.
