1 Malaysia Logo banner banned in Selangor.
A spat is brewing between the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government over the latter’s decision to ban billboards featuring the 1Malaysia logo.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ban was imposed as the Opposition feared the 1Malaysia concept was becoming popular among the people.
“They (Selangor government) are afraid of the 1Malaysia logo which has become iconic to the people. The 1Malaysia vision has noble intentions, one of which is to unite the people regardless of their political leanings,” he said after attending a leaders-meet-the-people gathering in Lawas, Sarawak.
Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar said the ban indicated the state government did not propagate the spirit of national unity among the people.
“I don’t see the reason to ban the 1Malaysia logo unless the state government does not want peace and harmony among the people,” he said yesterday.
Noh said it did not make sense to view the logo so negatively.
“Given that everyone, including the grassroots community, is able to grasp the concept, it is proof the 1Malaysia idea has succeeded,” he said.
Stating that the federal government would not allow itself to be distracted by the ban, Noh said he would continue to use the logo in his programmes and hoped non-governmental organisations would follow suit.
On Wednesday, Selangor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the 1Malaysia sign was a political logo and had contravened the local by-laws, which prohibited the use of political signage on billboard advertisements.
He said such advertisements were only allowed at certain times, such as during elections.
Despite the by-laws, Liu said there were still certain quarters that wanted the logo to be incorporated in their billboard advertisements.
In defending the move, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary Faekah Husin said the ban was politically correct. “If such advertisements were allowed, it would show that the state supported Barisan’s ideology, which is never in Pakatan Rakyat’s interest,” she said.
Faekah described the 1Malaysia logo, used by Barisan to gain the people’s support, as “not original”.
“They have merely copied ideas from other countries to garner the people’s support,” she said.
