An upside down printing of the Indonesian flag in a souvenir guidebook handed out at the opening of the Southeast Asian Games has sparked an outcry among officials and public in Indonesia, prompting Malaysian government to apologise on Sunday (August 20).
The mistake, spotted at the opening of the games in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday (August 19) was shared on social media website by Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, who posted pictures of the mistake on his Twitter account and called it a “fatal careless mistake”.
The photo of the flag, printed on the last page of the guidebook has also prompted hashtag #ShameonyouMalaysia trending on social media.
The flag blunder was the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents at the regional sports meet. Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Kahiry Jamaluddin met the Indonesian delegation to formally apologise.
“Malaysian government has issued an official apology statement just now from the foreign ministry to the Indonesian government,” Jamaluddin said.
“The official statement and my personal apology through meeting with Mr Imam, orally and in writing, is a step towards expressing Malaysia’s regret of the situation that has taken place.”
Indonesia’s flag has two horizontal bands with red on the top and white underneath. Turning it upside down, makes it look like Poland’s flag.
