KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — The issue of the Indonesian flag appearing upside down in a souvenir booklet for the SEA Games has been resolved, youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today after a meeting with his Indonesia counterpart.
The Star Online reported that Khairy and Imam Nahrawi had a 10-minute closed-door meeting at a hotel earlier today.
At a press conference later, the two ministers then shook hands and said the issue had been resolved.
“We’re both good friends and I know Khairy is always prioritising the good relationship between our two countries.
“But we hope this issue will not be repeated again,” Nahrawi reportedly said.
Khairy said he has ordered souvenir booklets to be corrected and reprinted, stressing that it was a careless mistake.
“But there’s no denying that it’s a big error which has affected the image and reputation of the Indonesian Republic because the flag is a symbol of a country’s national pride,” Khairy added.
Yesterday, Khairy apologised to Indonesians after the neighbouring country’s flag appeared upside down in the SEA Games (KL2017) booklet.
The Indonesian flag had appeared upside down on the sponsorship booklet that made it look like Poland’s flag.
Many netizens especially Indonesians also criticised the organisers for the mistake, with some even claiming that it might lead to a diplomatic row.
