GERAKAN president Dominic Lau said he had objected to a proposal to use an alternate Merdeka Day logo and theme in four Perikatan Nasional (PN)-led states.

The PN deputy chairman said the Independence Day celebration should not be politicised, and the opposition should not be seen as trying to do that.

Lau said he raised his objections during a PN central leadership meeting.

“(Ahmad) Fadhli (Shaari) made the suggestion because we saw the federal government had politicised the theme using terms like ‘Madani’ and ‘unity’,

“But Fadhli (PAS Youth chief) couldn’t do anything because he is not a chief minister or a menteri besar,” he was quoted as telling a press conference in Penang.

Fadhli reportedly said yesterday Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu would celebrate Merdeka under a separate logo and theme, which PN Youth launched yesterday. The theme is “Teguh Muafakat Malaysia Sejahtera” (Strong Community for a Prosperous Malaysia).

The logo was of a hibiscus with five petals in the colours of the Jalur Gemilang.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Independence Day celebration should not be politicised.

He said PN’s plan to use a different logo and theme in the four states was “crazy”.

He said Fadhli, who mooted the idea, is “narrow-minded” and should not be a lawmaker.

“Is he crazy or what? He doesn’t deserve to be an MP if he has such a narrow-minded attitude,” Zahid said in Putrajaya today.

“This is about celebrating Independence Day at the national level… Not everything can be politicised.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Merdeka celebration is a national event, and that separate themes would create disunity.

“I urge for this matter to be looked into as we want to unite and put all this aside”, and political fights must end as state polls are over, Fahmi said today. – August 20, 2023.