Utusan irate over raising of 'leftist flag' for Merdeka

The raising of a flag introduced by groups in the leftist movement of independence 1947, in a celebration by activists to usher in the 56th National Day, has been slammed as an insult to the nation.

In the Bisik-bisik column inUtusan Malaysia's Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysiatoday, Awang Selamat said that raising of the flag by activist Hishamuddin Rais (left) was "insolent" and "a threat to the nation".

"To me, (allowing activists to raise the leftist flag) gives the wrong message, and encourages others to malign the national flag...

"This issue has become a national threat, and yet it is not dealt with in a proactive and pre-emptive manner. By right, these activists should have been arrested," he said.

Instead, Awang Selamat (a joint-pseudonym for Utusan Malaysiaeditors) said, a private individual took action and seized the flag from the activists after telling them that flag was not the national flag.

"Who is this patriotic and brave man? If I have the chance, I would embrace him out of respect and pride, for he had acted as a hero."

Hishamuddin was reported by portal Rakyatnews.my as having raised the flag, termed the Sang Saka Malaya, at the celebrations organised by activists at Dataran Merdeka on Friday night.

'Freed from Umno'

In a video uploaded by the portal, Hishamuddin held the flag and said that the Sang Saka will be the people's flag once they are "freed from Umno".

He also called on the people to reject the Jalur Temberang (Stripes of Lies), which is an apparent reference to the Jalur Gemilang.

The Sang Saka, which has one red and one white stripe, and 12 five-point yellow stars on the red stripe was first raised in 1947 by the Pusat Tenaga Rakyat-All Malaya Council of Joint Action (Putera-AMCJA) coalition.

It was then raised as a flag for an independent state and was a symbol of the leftist independence struggle.

Putera was a group of Malay leaders, including those from the British-banned Malay Nationalist Party (PKMM), while the AMCJA was a coalition of non-Malay smaller organisations and trade unions.

The flag, which is also known by some as 'Bendera Rakyat', was also raised by activists in several other events, including during the 2013 New Year's Eve celebrations at Dataran Merdeka.

One activist was reportedly said that the flag was raised to acknowledge the leftist contribution to the independence struggle.

"What we hear today is only about Umno's role, but there were others who contributed. So we raise this flag to remember their struggles," activist Muhammad Nasir Abu Bakar toldMalaysiakini then.

Muhammad Nasir also raised a version of the flag at a Merdeka celebration last year and was investigated for sedition.