DESPITE sounding vulgar, there is every truth in the contemporary slang “karma is bi*ch”. And its boomerang effect can be rather instantaneous, too.
Imagine that in less than 10 days after the Sin Chew Daily‘s missing crescent moon blunder on the Jalur Gemilang triggered widespread condemnations from ultra-nationalists, the Education Ministry (MOE) found itself caught in the same act of turning a blind eye to patriotism.
With the table now turned, who can blame former Selangor executive councillor Datuk Teng Chang Khim for requesting the suspension of the department head (HOD) “in tandem with the standards set by some patriots” at the height of the Sin Chew Daily’s gaffe.
But the retired DAP politician who is a lawyer by training did not stop there in his tit-for-tat reactionary sarcasm in a Mandarin Facebook (FB) post:
“The police must arrest the HOD for his statements as well as summon 40 people for questioning. Those who went to the newspaper to protest the cancellation of the permit must also go to the MOE to protest and demand that the MOE be shut down.
“And all those ministers (even former education minister Maszlee Malik contributed some inputs) who declared lofty patriotic rhetoric should speak up to reprimand the ministry.”
A cynical former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim questioned if Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will face police action over the latest national flag blunder.
“Whose head is going to roll over this? I’m sure certain groups will claim that an apology isn’t enough,” the opposition-slant UMNO member told Malaysiakini.
However, a more ‘sober’ academician and political commentator Prof Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi hoped Fadhlina need not meet the same fate as the Sin Chew Daily chief editor and deputy chief sub-editor who were detained by the police.
Calling for calm, the professor of Islamic Architecture at the UCSI University who had earlier questioned if the mainstream Chinese daily had dishonoured the Malaysian flag more than the colossal 1MDB scandal told Malaysiakini:
“I do hope the minister herself won’t be arrested like the Sin Chew Daily 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 (UMNO Veterans’ Club and PERKASA) who are already at the peak of their knowledge and can no longer learn or feel anything.”
Forner The Star environment section editor Andrew Sia is waiting for firebrand UMNO Youth chief Datuk Muhamad Akmal Saleh to voice his nationalistic protest (he has yet to do so at the time of writing).
“Latest flag mistake by Education Ministry shows TWO stars & lapan jalur (eight stripes) not 14,” the semi-retired Sia who is now a Malaysiakini columnist cheekily remarked on his FB page.
“Waiting for Dr Chicken Ham to condemn this as “hina kedaulatan negara” (insult national sovereignty) like he did against Sin Chew. 😅
“Also waiting for PERKASA to protest at Kementerian (Ministry) and declare ‘SORRY NO CURE’ (like they did with Sin Chew). 😨” – April 25, 2025
Editor’s Note: For those with short memory, here’s a viral social media post which encapsulates the ground sentiment during the so-called Sin Chew Daily flag fiasco.
Dalam minggu lawatan presiden China ke Malaysia
Berlaku 3 kejadian biadap tak hormat bendera Malaysia.
1. Kes sin chew Daily (periksa chief editornya)
2. akhbar Kwong Wah Yit Poh (periksa siapa pengasasnya)
3. Pameran booth di midvalley oleh singapore lactation bakesKesemua.… pic.twitter.com/7ojmj9HCYl
— haziq jual ayam tak cucuk (@Haziqmahmur90an) April 19, 2025
Main image credit: Naratif Rakyat 🇲🇾 (@NaratifRakyat)
