A Malaysian teacher found herself under fire after creating a poster for a Merdeka scrapbook competition featuring images of military personnel from China.
The poster, which is now going viral on Facebook initially circulated on WhatsApp, and following criticisms from many Malaysians, the teacher apologised for using the images of the Chinese soldiers behind our Malaysian flag.
“I apologise for my mistake and for not being alert and sensitive to this issue. I would like to request for the pictures to be removed if you still have it, and I’ve attached the new poster here for your reference. Thank you.”
The new poster now features only the Jalur Gemilang, with the images of the Chinese military removed.
What about our Malaysian Armed Forces?
Social media users were not happy to see such a mistake, and they wanted actions to be taken by the relevant authorities.
“The thing is, no actions have been taken. Even when a flag is set up upside down, you get away with a mere apology and everything goes quiet.”
“As if we don’t have our own military. We have other posters with the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) that operate on land, sea, and in the air. Why are you so stupid?”
“Who did this? This has to be checked.”
“Strict action has been taken”
Fadhlina Sidek, the Minister of Education said the mistake is considered serious and has been investigated by the Integrity Unit.
“In terms of the actions of the teacher involved, an investigation has been done and we have taken strict action,” she said at a media conference after the KPM Project Handover Ceremony at SMK Bagan Terap, Selangor.
What’s your take on this?