COMMENT | WHY is a mistake, a stupid mistake, over our flag now being twisted into indirect racial attacks by a Minister and a Mufti? The way this issue is being played up, it’s as if the people involved are almost like terrorists.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik said people who “claim to be Malaysian citizens”, but are ignorant about the Jalur Gemilang “cannot be forgiven” for their “betrayal”.

Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (or Maza) said the "insult of the flag" by "those who were given citizenship" is “sangat melampau” ("very extreme). He added the government must be stern towards “golongan yang diberi peluang hidup dalam negara ini tapi menghina negara (groups 'allowed to live' in this country but insult the country)”.

Isn’t it enough that the Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba) committee bowed down humbly at a press conference to apologise? That its president stepped down, pending the outcome of a police inquiry?

Terms like "betrayal", "insulting the flag/nation and citizenship" become more ominous when the main people behind Maba are... Malaysian Chinese. What do these 2M’s want? For the committee to prostrate themselves on the floor and beg for forgiveness? To be whipped (hudud-style) for being “traitors”?