Another flag gaffe: Expo organiser, exhibitor apologise

Summary

• A baby expo organiser and exhibitor have apologised after a video showing an incomplete Jalur Gemilang was played at the TCE Baby Expo.

• The exhibitor’s booth has been shut down and the video removed, with both parties pledging to improve internal checks.

• The incident follows similar recent controversies involving misrepresented national flags, including those involving Sin Chew Daily and Kwong Wah Yit Poh.

The organiser of a baby products expo and one of its exhibitors have apologised after yet another incident involving the display of an incomplete Jalur Gemilang.

The incident reportedly involved a promotional video for the exhibitor Singapore Lactation Bakes (SLB), which was played at a large screen at the TCE Baby Expo held at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur since Thursday.

The Malaysian flag in the backdrop of the video is reportedly missing its crescent moon. A photo of the screen showing the botched flag has been circulating online since at least yesterday.

In its statement, the organiser, The Concept Exhibition Sdn Bhd (TCE), said it had shut down SLB’s booth and removed the video as soon as it was brought to its attention.

“A thorough internal investigation is underway, and we are engaging with the relevant parties to understand how this occurred and to ensure appropriate measures are taken.

“We are treating this issue with the utmost seriousness and are currently reviewing our internal screening protocols to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” it said in a statement of apology.

SLB acknowledged the significance of the Jalur Gemilang’s importance to Malaysians and expressed gratitude to those who brought the error to their attention.

“It was never our intention to cause offence or disrespect in any way.

“This was a regrettable and unintentional mistake made during our creative process, and we take full responsibility for the error,” it said in a separate statement today.

Media blunder

The incident came on the heels of a similar issue on Tuesday, when Sin Chew Daily published an illustration of a jong carrying the flags of Malaysia and China in conjunction with China’s President Xi Jinping’s state visit.

The Jalur Gemilang on the jong was similarly missing its crescent moon, which is meant to symbolise Islam’s status as the religion of the federation.

The incident prompted backlash from various quarters as well as a royal rebuke from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Sin Chew has apologised and cited a technical error. It printed a corrected version of the illustration on the next day, vowed to take disciplinary action against its staff, and review its editorial procedures, including those surrounding the use of artificial intelligence.

The matter is the subject of separate investigations by the police, Home Ministry, and the MCMC for alleged offences under Section 3(1)(c) of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963 and Section 4(1)(b) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act (PPPA) 1984.

Kwong Wah Yit Poh is also under investigation for showing a picture of an electronic billboard outside a mall in Bukit Bintang, where the crescent moon is obscured by a headline and is barely visible.

Since the launch of the investigation, other netizens also pointed out that the star in the picture only had 13 points, instead of the proper 14-point star on the flag.

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