Recently, the detention of two senior editors from Sin Chew Daily and the call for Professor Tajuddin Rasdi to renounce his citizenship have laid bare a troubling trend in our national discourse: the eagerness to punish without reflection, to castigate without compassion despite the issuance of a genuine apology by the alleged offender.
GERAK stands with Professor Tajuddin Rasdi in rejecting the “pound of flesh” mentality that has come to dominate public sentiment. This punitive impulse is at once divisive, dangerous and wholly at odds with the best traditions of our faith and national values embodied in the Rukunegara.
The Sin Chew editors have offered an unreserved apology, corrected their mistake, and pledged to strengthen their AI‑usage protocols. This act of contrition should close the matter. To insist on further punishment is to practise a regressive form of ideological violence—divisive and dangerous, and antithetical to Islamic teachings, which call us to balance justice with mercy and compassion.
Moreover, we are witnessing a failure of moral education. Despite extensive instruction in Islamic principles, we have neglected the deeper virtues of compassion, inclusivity, acceptance and humility. Instead, we elevate ritual observance while ignoring the Prophet’s example of mercy and forgiveness.
The result is a society quick to vilify honest mistakes and slow to embrace the redemptive power of forgiveness. GERAK urges Malaysians to reclaim that merciful spirit, and to see apology and correction as opportunities for unity rather than triggers for retribution.
Professor Tajuddin reminds us that corruption at every level of government and society is akin to defiling the Jalur Gemilang with filth and waste and if left unchecked, it will poison us all. He warns that apathy and the perception of corruption as “charity” or “donation” constitute a travesty against the flag itself.
GERAK concurs that the true desecration lies not in typographical errors, the careless use of AI, or a temporary lapse in work ethic and efficiency, but in our collective failure to cleanse ourselves of moral decay.
GERAK also rejects the arguments of “scapegoating” and “red herring”. When exposing real examples of what constitutes a grave disrespect of the nation and the true meaning of patriotism, endemic corruption and the rampant abuse of power in the country must be highlighted.
Gerak strongly affirms that there are many ways to display patriotism besides waving the Jalur Gemilang with its official colours and design. Patriotism is also manifest when citizens consistently reject corruption, and speak up against racism, ethnocentrism and bigotry.
We are alarmed by extremist voices, among both the Muslim majority and beyond, calling for disproportionate sanctions, even citizenship revocation, over an honest mistake. Such xenophobic demands betray a paucity of reason and an inflation of emotion. They undermine academic freedom, poison civic trust and drive us ever further from the ideals that ought to bind us together.
Let us be clear: GERAK does not condone disrespect towards the Jalur Gemilang. Yet we insist that our response to human error be measured, rational, contextual and humane. To conflate a typographical mistake with treason reveals a dearth of reason and a deficit of compassion and moral duty embedded in the fundamental teachings of Islam.
In this moment of controversy, GERAK calls upon all Malaysians including our elected leaders, media practitioners and civil society to reclaim the higher ground. Let us reaffirm our commitment to rational discourse, to mercy over rebuke, and to solidarity over division. Only by doing so can we honour our faith, our flag and each other.
GERAK Exco
This statement has also been published in Free Malaysia Today, Aliran.