1Malaysia Symbol Ban 'Stays For Now'
The state-wide ban on the use of the 1Malaysia symbol on advertising materials at public premises remains, but its enforcement has been postponed, pending a review.
State executive councillor in charge of housing and local government Ronnie Liu attempted yesterday to explain what this really meant.
"What freeze? Freeze is the newspapers' term. Go ask them.
"As far as I am concerned, the ban is still on.
"I have only asked for the enforcement to be postponed pending a review. There is a distinction between the two," he said when met at the State Secretariat lobby, here, yesterday.
Does this mean that new billboads with 1Malaysia symbols can now be displayed? No, Liu said.
How about existing billboards? "Those will remain for now."
Liu's original statement on the ban on Dec 22 had stirred a controversy. Even DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had urged the Selangor exco to rethink the ban.
Liu said the next state exco meeting would discuss the matter.
He claimed that his words had been twisted by the media and the ban had not been "frozen" and he had just asked for the enforcement of the ban to be "temporarily postponed".
Liu said a "freeze" meant new billboards with the 1Malaysia symbol could be put up, at the same time those already up could remain displayed.
However, his instruction was to postpone enforcement but new signages with 1Malaysia symbols could not be put at public premises.
Yesterday, Kuala Langat District Council president Abdul Razak Jaafar was quoted as saying that he was informed of the ban on Friday but the state had yet to issue an official circular.
"He (Liu) gave a verbal instruction on Friday and we will wait for further, more detailed instructions from the state.
"In the meantime, we will not be taking any action against premises and billboards displaying the 1Malaysia symbol in Banting, including premises already given notice to take them down."
Last week, about 50 people protested against the Kuala Langat district council for trying to enforce the rule in front of a convenience shop displaying a 1Malaysia symbol on its signboard after the owner was slapped with a notice to remove the symbol in seven days.
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