KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — The president of the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) has taken a leave of absence on his own accord, pending the completion of ongoing investigations over the Malaysian flag kerfuffle during the opening ceremony of the association’s basketball tournament recently.
MABA said that its president, Datuk Lua Choon Hann will be taking leave indefinitely voluntarily with immediate effect while investigation by the relevant authorities continue.
“Datuk Lua felt as the president of MABA, he is ultimately responsible for the organisation and procedures of the association. Datuk Wira Tan Kang Yong, who is the current deputy president of MABA, would assume the role of acting president.
“MABA is very disappointed with this incident, and the contractor THEWOWSALE Dot Com Trading, who was responsible for the operation of the ‘live streaming’ which produced and displayed the incorrect Malaysia flag on the LED screen during the national anthem,” the statement read.
MABA said that it also terminated THEWOWSALE Dot Com Trading’s contract on the day of the incident.
“We will take the necessary legal action based on the outcome of the ongoing investigation. MABA is in full cooperation with the relevant authorities pertaining this investigation,” it said, adding that it also stands its ground, that the said incident was “purely an unintentional oversight by the organisation”.
MABA said that necessary steps have also been taken to improve the procedures and “upskill our personnel to avoid any unwanted incidents in the future”.
Malaysians vented their anger and disappointment on social media after a large screen showed the wrong flag for the national team, during the opening ceremony of the 28th MABA Milo Lum Mun Chak Cup last Saturday.
Some claimed it was done on purpose while others denounced it as an act of treason.
The flag featured a five-pointed star and 10 red-and-white stripes instead of the 14-pointed star and 14-red-and-white stripes for the Jalur Gemilang.
MABA has since apologised publicly, and attributed the blunder to a genuine mistake, adding that it has terminated the services of the contractor who supplied the digital image.
Police are investigating the case.
