Controversial Chinese military image on poster competition is not Chinese school doing

 

IN WHAT is seemingly a plot twist, some pro-Pakatan Harapan (PH) backers have exposed that the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition – in particular PAS – is the mastermind behind the use of inappropriate image for a school’s National Independence Month celebration poster competition.

The scrapbook competition poster for the secondary school in mainland Penang which went viral on social media and received widespread criticism had displayed images of three members of the Chinese army which was purportedly a propaganda material.

The use of the said image had raised questions given the theme for the competition is “independence figures in Malaysia”.

“As usual with the PAS-PN faction,” fumed social media influencer JOKER(@tjerealjoker) in a post on the X platform. “He peed. He slanders. He spread (lies). He apologised.”

Added Joker: “You guys are hypocritical p*gs. Work to spread hatred. Work to break unity. Your apology is a joke. We ask for your arrest and prosecution!”

For context, Bernama reported that the Penang Education Department (JPN) is currently conducting an internal investigation into the secondary school teacher who had apologised on Thursday (Aug 15) for his negligence while the original poster has been withdrawn and replaced with a revised version.

Its director Datuk Abdul Said Hussain said the controversial poster was initially shared in the parents’ WhatsApp group on Aug 15 to notify school pupils of the competition.

Calling for the Chief Secretary to the Government and the Public Service director-general to take action, many commenters stated that the teacher’s apology should not be entertained and instead demanded that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek initiate drastic disciplinary action which includes “termination from profession”.

A commenter vindicated Chinese vernacular school from the controversy while lambasting the “PAS tribe” for fanning the sentiment that “Type C was the culprit”.

“The said school is SMK Permatang Pasir High School (which is coincidentally located in the PAS-controlled Permatang Pasir state constituency); it’s neither a SJKC (Chinese national-type primary schools) nor a private school,” he clarified.

If this is true, then the entire episode is all about a vile politically-motivated ploy to stir up racial hatred by conveniently blaming the Chinese/DAP for wanting to disrupt racial/religious harmony in the country.

-focus malaysia