Flag mistake lands basketball chief in hot soup

Malaysia’s basketball chief is on indefinite leave. He became the victim of a nationwide uproar after an incorrect version of the national flag was displayed at a youth tournament.

The police were even roped in for a probe as high officials and member of the public wanted answers.

There has been similar booboo’s at some international events in the past and the people had enough of wrong flag displays.

Ahead of the Merdeka this year, there were wild rumours of a form of protests in the country. Flags were hoisted upside down.

Police investigated the issue and found there were some old pictures and videos that were reshared on social media.

But a flag that does not represent the Malaysian union at a sports event? This is totally new.

The problem with the flag is that it had a star with five corners instead of the 14 points.

And it was displayed on a screen in a stadium in Kuala Lumpur at the opening of an under-15 national basketball tournament last weekend.

This gave another reason for social media in Malaysia to explode with venom. But this time, it was a united force. Malaysians of all races rallied against the incident.

They felt it was a “betrayal to our nationalism” and national basketball chief Lau Choon Hann was hauled in for questioning by the police.

He went on indefinite leave as he took responsibility for the blunder though the association insists it was an unintentional oversight.

Malaysia’s flag is a source of great national pride and those disrespecting the emblem can face legal action for insulting the national icon.