JOHOR SHOWS THE NATION HOW TO DEAL WITH FLAG RECALCITRANTS!

1. Johor has shown the nation something that has been sorely missing, ie when you insult the symbols of this country, there MUST be consequences.

2. Under Section 5 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963 (Act 414), as amended in 2017, improper use of the national emblem/ flag can carry: 

Fine up to RM20,000; Imprisonment up to 3 years; Or both.

3. In the case of the recent Kulai factory, MPKu expressly relied on By-law 49(2): Power to Close Premises, together with By-law 45(1): Hoisting of Flags, under the Licensing of Trades, Businesses and Industries By-Laws 2019. 

4. So it has rightfully imposed the penalty as provided for in their by-laws, because this is not merely about a piece of cloth being hung the wrong way.

5. This is about respect. This is about loyalty. This is about sovereignty. And ultimately, this is about whether those who live, work and prosper in Malaysia understand whose country this is.

6. A company cannot simply wash its hands off responsibility and blame it on its patsy foreign worker. NO!

7. You own the premises. You run the business. You employ the workers. You reap the profits. You carry the responsibility.

8. It is no coincidence that while factories and business establishments have been around for years, it is only during the Merdeka Month that such treacherous acts occur and by businesses run by a certain kind of suspects.

9. We must also ask the uncomfortable question: Could these incidents be a signal by a certain group to deliberately commit acts of disloyalty disguised as “mistakes” during the Merdeka Month?

10. If that is so, then the law must close that door; firmly and permanently.

11. In Johor, displaying the State flag improperly is also an affront to the dignity of the State and its Ruler. We need stronger deterrence.

12. Johor has a BN coalition government with more than a two-thirds majority in the State Legislative Assembly. It should use that mandate.

13. More stringent laws and licensing conditions should be considered. If a business knows that the worst that can happen is a small fine followed by a carefully rehearsed apology, then the law has failed as a deterrent.

14. The penalty must hurt where it matters: The business licence; The operating licence; The bottom line. A prolonged closure, where legally justified, would send a far stronger message than a token fine.

Respect is not something you buy for RM500 or RM3,500.

15. And this is not the first time Johor has had to confront an attitude of corporate arrogance towards the State.

16. During the Coronation of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, I remember the management of another factory in Gelang Patah reportedly stating openly with pride, that the company would not recognise the occasion as a public holiday for its workers (even though it had been gazetted as such by the State administration).

17. This was an insult to the State’s Ruler and the people of Johor especially the factory’s workers who wanted to join in the Royal celebration which came last after 60 years.

18. More stringent laws should be passed to teach these defiant citizens the importance of respecting the Flag.

19. Malaysia Must Never Bend The Knee To Those Who Treat Our Symbols And What They Represent With Contempt.

20. Smash Them Where It Hurts, Ie Their Operation And Fiscal Bottomline. Maybe Then, They Will In Compliance,  Learn The Meaning Of Allegience.

Palliative Care or Euthanasia: Which Path Should Pakatan Harapan Take?

1. At the risk of stating the obvious, Pakatan Harapan’s standing with the public is in rapid decline. And increasingly, its greatest liability is not the opposition, but the sitting Prime Minister himself and the party he leads, PKR. 

2. As I warned in my earlier articles, the Prime Minister’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric and campaign-rally outbursts in Johor and Negeri Sembilan have backfired spectacularly. PH paid the price at the ballot box.

3. Johor may have been a BN state to begin with, but Negeri Sembilan was an altogether different humiliation. PH was flipped out of government, while the defeats of the incumbent Menteri Besar and DAP Secretary-General provided an almost irresistible political bonus.

4. Now comes the reported resignation offer by PKR’s Deputy President, reportedly attributed to her desire to pursue her education.

5. But politically, it can hardly be ignored that this is also the party’s Deputy President stepping away at a critical moment and doing so from a party led by her own father.

6. Rafizi Ramli and his influential faction have already left PKR to form a rival political vehicle. Combine that with the reported departure of its Deputy President and PKR is no longer the political machine it once was.

7. The uncomfortable truth is that the only thing keeping PKR politically afloat is the Prime Minister’s occupation of the Prime Minister’s Office. And even that lifeline is hanging on a thread.

8. The latest blow came earlier this evening with the resignation of YB Wong Chen from his parliamentary seat in Subang. And if the political whispers are correct, he may not be the last. For a government already battling questions of internal cohesion, every resignation is another drip from a rapidly emptying political blood bank.

9. DAP is now allowing its delegates to decide this month whether the party should remain in government. If DAP genuinely wants to preserve whatever remains of its public support before the next General Election, perhaps it should consider leaving the Cabinet now and become what I would call the “Opposition in Residence”, close enough to scrutinise the government, but far enough away to avoid being held responsible for its failures.

10. UMNO however should  remain in the administration to save this Nation yet again from certain disaster. Otherwise this government will be left in the hands of incompetent Ministers running this country to the ground.

11. We should hold the Nation together and let the clock run out. Let the people observe the form of service we provide and hopefully, will us back in the the next GE as the primary force leading this Nation.

12. The problem for PH is that it may no longer have enough time to repair the damage. With roughly a year and a half remaining in the current term, the political haemorrhage may simply be too severe. Its leadership credibility is weakened. Its political narrative is losing oxygen.

13. At this stage, one would be forgiven for describing PH’s political health as terminal.

14. So perhaps PH now has only two choices: Palliative care or euthanasia. 

15. The only sensible way forward for them is to be put on palliative care and play nice with BN until they expire.