“People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good.”
– Mark Manson, American author and blogger
LATELY, mistakes, whether honest or careless, are often treated not with understanding but with outrage. Yet that outrage, disturbingly, appears more selective than sincere.
Take the recent debacle involving the Ministry of Education’s glaring error in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) analysis report. Incredibly, the report featured a botched version of our Jalur Gemilang, showing two stars and only eight stripes instead of the 14 that represent our federation of states.
This comes hot on the heels of another flag fiasco, this time by Sin Chew Daily. The respected newspaper mistakenly published a front-page advertisement featuring a Malaysian flag missing its crescent moon.
The uproar was instantaneous. Political groups, NGOs and individuals condemned Sin Chew mercilessly.
Protesters gathered outside its offices. Some demanded the newspaper’s permit be revoked. Others went further, labelling it an act of treason and demanding legal action against its editors.
But when the Education Ministry committed a similar blunder, astonishingly involving an official national document – the reactions were undeniably muted. Where were the firebrands who protested against Sin Chew?
Where were the cries of treason, the police reports, the calls for heads to roll?
The silence is deafening!
Former Selangor executive councillor Teng Chang Khim rightly mentioned that if Sin Chew’s mistake was considered an insult so serious that closure was suggested, shouldn’t protesters now march to the Education Ministry as well?
Of course, they won’t. And therein lies the dangerous hypocrisy we must confront.
It is becoming increasingly clear that mistakes are not judged by their severity or impact, but by who commits them. If a private individual or an NGO errs, the mistake is branded as malicious, anti-national, even seditious.
But if a government body blunders, even one tasked with nurturing patriotism among our young, it is swiftly dismissed as a “genuine” or “honest mistake”.
This dangerous double standard erodes public trust and divides our multiracial society.
Let us not forget several past “unforgivable” incidents involving our national flag.
In 2022, the Royal Malaysian Navy mistakenly raised the national flag upside down during National Day Parade rehearsals. Was there an uproar? Demands for punishment? None. It was chalked up as human error.
Another incident in 2020; a factory owner in Johor was remanded for three days after his worker accidentally raised an upside-down flag. Yet when schools in Klang and Pahang committed the same error, the incidents were dismissed as honest mistakes by migrant workers, with no action taken against supervisors.
And in 2016, the Seremban district police headquarters flew the flag upside down. Again, it was labelled a “technical error” and quickly forgotten.
The Sin Chew episode isn’t even the first time a Chinese-based organisation was demonised. In 2019, the Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba) faced a public storm over a faulty flag graphic. The Maba leadership bowed in public apology, and its president stepped down. Yet that apology wasn’t enough for some politicians, who declared that the mistake was an unforgivable “betrayal”.
Even the then-education minister Dr Maszlee Malik and Perlis mufti Datuk Asri Zainul Abidin stepped into the furore, framing the incident in racialised, extreme terms.
So the pattern is clear. When certain groups err, the mistake is used as political ammunition, stoking division and resentment, and this selectivity hurts us all.
Mistakes with national symbols are serious. They touch on national pride and unity. But weaponising honest mistakes, selectively persecuting certain groups, and turning every minor error into a political sledgehammer tears at the very fabric of Malaysia.
Academic and activist Dr Kua Kia Soong put it aptly: “It takes a special kind of arrogance, or perhaps ignorance, to demand blood over a simple proofreading error.”
Indeed, many flag mistakes are simply proofreading or quality control errors. In today’s fast-paced digital newsrooms and overburdened government offices, such lapses can and do happen. Some errors may even involve artificial intelligence tools that imperfectly generate images.
But what is important is the response to such mistakes. Accountability matters; but so does fairness, proportionality and consistency.
When outrage becomes selective, it ceases to be about upholding standards or defending patriotism. It becomes a weapon to attack political opponents, to stoke racial and religious sentiment, and to sow distrust among our people.
This is not the Malaysia that our forefathers built.
The Education Ministry, to its credit, issued an immediate apology for its SPM report error. It acknowledged the seriousness of the lapse, recalled all printed copies, and promised action against those responsible. A detailed investigation is said to be underway.
This is the correct response: apologise sincerely, investigate thoroughly, hold individuals accountable if necessary. And most importantly, put systems in place to prevent future blunders.
However, the authorities must ensure that investigations are conducted fairly and independently – not driven by public mob pressure or political agendas. The concept of the “rule of law” demands that all are equal before the law, regardless of position, race, or political affiliation.
This nation must not drift towards “rule by law”, where law enforcement is used selectively to protect some and punish others.
The time has come for Malaysians – and I mean leaders, politicians, media, NGOs and ordinary citizens alike – to act with greater maturity. Mistakes must be corrected. Offenders must be held accountable. But all must be treated fairly and proportionately.
Selective outrage only deepens divisions and sows hatred. It turns honest mistakes into political weapons. It alienates communities and erodes faith in our institutions. Let us instead be guided by justice, empathy and common sense. Let us remember that we are one nation, one people, and that patriotism must be rooted in unity, not in witch-hunts.
When the Jalur Gemilang is disrespected, whether by error or malice, it wounds us all. But when we respond with blind fury or worse, with selective fury, we wound ourselves even more deeply.
Malaysia must stand for fairness. Only then can we stand tall in the eyes of the world, and in the mirror of our own conscience. Do not allow our forefathers’ hard work and noble efforts go down the drain!
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at rajlira@gmail.com
