If you had missed it last week, Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) got themselves in trouble when “they” displayed the wrong Malaysian flag on during basketball competition. I say they because MABA blamed their IT consultant. Image source: https://mothership.sg
Seriously one cannot comprehend how one can make such a basic mistake when it comes to the national flag?
Read these national basics related posts:-
- National Anthem: No Malaysian Should Ever Disrespect It
- Making of a Bangsa Malaysia
- Bahasa Malaysia, what’s the point?
Yes, some people made a huge mistake in relation to the national flag and despite initially shifting the blame to others (the so-called IT consultant), MABA did the right thing by taking the responsibility for the mistake:-
The Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) has taken responsibility for wrongly displaying a Malaysian flag with a five-pointed star during its 28th Lum Mun Chak Cup competition.
The Malaysian flag has a 14-pointed star to symbolise the country’s 14 states and federal territories while the five-pointed star is reminiscent of China’s flag, which uses it to signify the country’s unification under its Communist Party.
“During the ceremony, our live broadcast team accidentally displayed the wrong Malaysia flag on our stadium TV screen.
“We apologise for this mistake, and we take full responsibility for such actions. Please forgive us, as we are always striving to grow and develop the sport of basketball in Malaysia,” the association said in a statement.
Aside from the star, the flag displayed during the opening ceremony of the competition and broadcast live also featured 10 stripes instead of the correct 14.
(Source)
Apparently, this is not the first time MABA screwed up with the Malaysian flag – also using a 3rd party to do the design & installation. What was their excuse back then? Which IT consultant they picked to the do job back then?
The issue in this photo is not the incorrect flag but rather a very confusing event logo leading many to think that the organisers had used the wrong elements to show the Malaysian flag. In reality it is an event log infusing the Malaysian flag and the state of Selangor flag.
And this seems to be tip of the iceberg – this is not the first time Malaysians using the wrong flag as the state or national flag. Over the social media, more snapshots of past events using the wrong flags have started to come to the surface. There is one where the Perak state flag is appended on the player’s jersey inverted. Another like the above intended to be a logo but it is confusing and lead many to think that it is the national flag.
But then how such a basic mistake can occur in the first place? Are they saying that our state or national flag is so new or ambiguous that it is easy to make such a mistake? It does not make any sense especially when this mistake is done in Malaysia and by Malaysians, right? Didn’t they learn about the Malaysian flag when they were in school?
Seriously there a lack of care and ensuring that certain quality, certain protocols adhered to strictly.
Certainly what is happening now is that people taking things for granted:-
The Malaysian flag mix-up at a basketball tournament here recently was due to ignorance and a lack of appreciation for the country, and not racism, said Umno deputy president Datuk Mohamad Hasan.
He said that the carelessness likely did not stem from a racial standpoint nor was communist in nature, but was an act of taking the country and its flag for granted.“Although some are under the impression that the five-pointed star is an act of racism or is communist in nature, I think it is more about the ignorance that stems from not caring or really loving the country.
“We take it for granted all the peace and harmony that we’ve achieved in the last few decades,” he said in a Facebook post today.
(Source)
This seems something wise coming from the opposition politician. Perhaps because it is something so basic, many Malaysians take things for granted. After all, as adults, who sings the national anthem or raise the national flag after our school days.
But it is a different story when it comes to large organisations having international events. Not screwing up the national flag (or any other country’s flag) and anthem is important. And when mistakes happen, it may create an international outcry. In this case, a national outcry as these is not small or easy mistakes.
It is inexcusable especially when it comes to the national flag. No true blue Malaysians can act dumb and ignorant on how the flag looks like. The same goes for other things like standing up to respect the national anthem. Of course remembering the words of the national anthem is important too, otherwise it can get you in trouble too.