Malaysia’s racial and religious divisions widen as opposition seeks political gain

Fake images of the national flag and inflammatory comments by a preacher are among the recent developments ratcheting up ethnic and religious tensions in multiracial Malaysia

Even the police chief has called the situation concerning, though he says it is still ‘manageable’ security-wise

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Workers hang Malaysian flags ahead of celebrations for the country's 62nd anniversary of independence on August 31. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:01pm, 27 Aug 2019Updated: 7:10pm, 27 Aug 2019

A recent Facebook post showing a man setting fire to the Malaysian flag ignited strong emotions in the country, being shared more than 5,500 times with angry responses from the Malay-Muslim majority.

“Is this how your kind celebrates Merdeka (independence)?” wrote Facebook user Nadzmi Nadzmi who uploaded the picture, accusing a Malaysian Chinese of burning the symbol of the country’s sovereignty. Other users called the Chinese “pigs” and told them to leave the country.

Except the man in the picture was not Malaysian Chinese, and the photo was taken in 2013.

A reverse Google image search showed it was of a retired Filipino policeman burning a Malaysian flag in Manila to protest against the handling of the Sabah issue by the then Philippine president Benigno Aquino.

Screenshot of the Facebook post showing a man burning a Malaysian flag.

But in the age of social media, few cared about the veracity of the image. That same week, images of the Malaysian flag being flown upside down also appeared on social media and spread like wildfire.

Civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan said “it was clear” that certain parties wanted to trigger public anger and tension by making the images of the flag go viral.