A private dental clinic in Pontian, Johor, has been ordered to close for 30 days by the local council after it was seen hanging the Jalur Gemilang upside down.
Pontian Municipal Council president Abdul Azim Shamsuddin said the closure notice was handed to the clinic at around 8.20am after it breached a 2019 by-law on hanging the national flag.
Azim said the Pontian council’s by-laws gave him the authority to order business premises to close for breaching licence conditions or by-laws, Sinar Harian reported.
He said the owner could submit a written appeal.
A 33-second viral video had shown the national flag being flown upside down on the second floor of a three-storey shop building, next to the Johor flag, which was correctly displayed.
Several members of the public and policemen were also seen in front of the building. A police probe has been launched.
Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan, a federal deputy minister, called for calm and said the position of the flag had been corrected.
Last week, the Attorney-General’s Chambers reminded the public not to take matters into their own hands in instances of protocol breaches regarding the Jalur Gemilang.
This was after more than 200 people led by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh gathered near a hardware shop in Kepala Batas, Penang, following an investigation into its owner for hanging the Jalur Gemilang upside down outside his premises.
