Selangor used its own Merdeka logo last year

 

Perikatan Nasional has stirred controversy after its youth wing launched an alternative National Day logo and theme contrary to the one set by the federal government.

However, this practice may not be as unusual as some critics make it out to be.

Selangor, notably, did not use the federal government’s logo last year, opting instead to apply its own.

The state government also did not use the "Keluarga Malaysia" part of the National Day theme, while maintaining the "Teguh Bersama" (stand united) half of the tagline.

A review of caretaker Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari's social media indicated that the state government also did not use the Muhyiddin Yassin administration’s National Day logo in 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, Amirudin appeared to have used a different theme altogether -"Kita Merdeka" (We are independent) - instead of "Malaysia Prihatin".

He used the Malaysia Prihatin tagline in 2021, but without the logo.

Penang, N Sembilan too

Likewise, checks on Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun’s social media also appeared to show neither state used the National Day logo set by the Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob administrations.

Meanwhile, PN Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari noted that Pakatan Rakyat also had an alternative Merdeka theme in 2012 in opposition to the then-BN government using its “Janji Ditepati” tagline for the celebration's theme.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar told The Star yesterday that state governments have the right to set the theme and logo for the state-level celebration instead of Putrajaya.

Terengganu, however, will be using Putrajaya’s logo and theme for this year.

In May, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced “Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan” (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope) as the theme of the 2023 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations.

Malaysia Madani is Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government tagline.

On Saturday, PN Youth unveiled an alternative Merdeka logo, which depicts the national flower - the hibiscus - with five petals, taking the colours found in the Jalur Gemilang and with the theme "Teguh Muafakat Malaysia Sejahtera" (Strong Consensus for a Peaceful Malaysia).

This was proposed as an alternative for the PN-led states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

Perlis said it would be using the tagline sans "Malaysia Madani". - Mkini