Putrajaya axes controversial 55th N-Day logo
UPDATED @ 03:19:30 PM 29-07-2012
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Putrajaya dialled back today on the controversial “Janji Ditepati” (Promises Fulfilled) logo for the country’s National Day celebrations after a public furore and replaced it with the 1 Malaysia logo, a sign of a jittery government in the run-up to national polls.
The move was announced by Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim earlier this morning over Twitter.
“To quell some misunderstanding we only hv 1Malaydia (sic) as logo for Merdeka n Hari Msia. There will be several promo hihglights till th big day,” he said on his Twitter account, @DrRaisYatim.
“Tahun ini seperti tahun lalu tiada logo rasmi melainkan logo 1Malaysia. Cuma temanya ialah 55 Tahun Merdeka Janji ditepati. (This year as in past years there is no official logo save the 1Malaysia logo. Only the theme is 55 Years of Indepence Promises fulfilled.)
“Bahan hiasan (artwork) kini hanya paparan selingan bukan logo rasmi. Ada bbp bahan promo menjelang Hari Merdeka 31 Ogos dan Hari Malaysia. (The current artwork is only a variation of the illustration and not the official logo. There are several promotional items in the run-up to Independence Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day),” he added.
The reversal is a major embarassment for Rais who had only two days ago defended the “Promises Fulfilled” theme that had received a public drubbing last week when it was unveiled.
He had pointed out in a message on his Twitter account then that “everything can look bad if the mind is closed”.
“Malaysia has truly arrived as an achieving nation after 55 years of independence. Why can’t we say janji ditepati?” he said in response to growing criticisms against the theme for mirroring the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) political campaign theme ahead of the 13th general election due in nine months.
Malaysia marks its National Day on August 31 commemorating the anniversary of the federation of Malaya’s independence in 1957 and celebrates Malaysia Day on September 16 to mark the joining of the peninsula with Sabah and Sarawak.
Rais (picture) was reported by state news wire Bernama to have said on July 9 that this year’s Merdeka Day theme signified the prime minister’s transformation programmes such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia cash handouts, Kedai 1 Malaysia and others for the benefit of the people.
Past themes have been variations of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia agenda, including “Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan” (People First, Performance Now) and “1 Malaysia Menjana Transformasi” (1 Malaysia Driving Transformation).
National Day celebrations before Najib took over in 2009 appeared more focused on the message of unity, with the 2008 theme being “Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan” (Unity is the Core of Success).
The country’s sixth prime minister has also been touring the country under the Jelajah Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled Tour) organised by TV3, the main station of private broadcaster Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (STMB) that is linked to his Umno party.
The tour is part of a campaign to remind voters that his administration has carried out its pledges since he took office in April 2009.
Najib is bidding for his own mandate at the polls as he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a year after Election 2008.
The latest electoral survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center conducted among voters in peninsular Malaysia and released last week showed that satisfaction with Najib’s performance had dipped one per cent to 64 per cent in June while satisfaction for the ruling BN coalition dropped six per cent to 42 per cent in the same month.
The biggest slide in ratings was from Malay and Indian voters from 79 per cent to 75 per cent, and from 72 per cent to 69 per cent, respectively.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians have accused the BN government of hijacking National Day celebrations for its own political campaign.
They have also accused BN of using the theme to abuse government machinery for political campaigning purposes.
Rais, who is in charge of the ministry responsible for the theme, has been forced to defend the selection of the theme ahead of what is going to be the most keenly contested elections in recent history.
“A theme, a slogan is open to perception. If the mind is closed n heart hardened (sic) everything can look bad,” he said in his message on Twitter then.
The 2012 National Day logo has also received wide criticism since it was released, with cyber citizens and graphic designers saying it is the worst they have seen and not suitable for the celebration that stretches from August 31 to September 16.
The government eschewed the traditional logo designing competition this year, leaving the Information Department to come out with the logo which comprises words in different fonts, the Jalur Gemilang, the 1 Malaysia logo and the theme “Janji Ditepati”, all using the four colours of the national flag.
To add to the diatribe against the logo, many also made fun of the explanation for the logo.
In social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook, many queried Putrajaya for not having a competition as done previously.
There is even a Facebook group named “Kami Bantah Logo Kemerdekaan Malaysia Ke 55” that questions the tagline “Janji Ditepati”, saying it does not make sense and appears political.