PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden said the Chinese-language daily’s “technical mistake” was an affront to the nation’s sovereignty and reflected a lack of patriotism.

Afnan also said the crescent moon was an important symbol in the Malaysian flag as it represented Islam as the religion of the federation, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

“This is a form of treachery that cannot be forgiven just like that. The apology issued must not give the newspaper a free pass for such subversive actions.

“It is clearly an affront to the nation’s dignity and can be construed as a subtle attempt at erasing our national identity.

“This raises major questions regarding the loyalty of the Sin Chew editorial team to the country and reflects weak journalistic principles,” he said in a Facebook post.

Afnan also warned that failure to take strong action against Sin Chew Daily would open the door to more subversive actions, particularly against Islam as the religion of the federation.

The Alor Setar MP urged communications minister Fahmi Fadzil to take action against the parties involved, citing the RM250,000 compound issued to radio station Era FM over a controversial video mocking the Hindu religion.

Era FM’s operator, Maestra Broadcast Sdn Bhd, was slapped with the compound after three of its radio hosts mocked the Thaipusam kavadi ritual in a video which went viral.

Yesterday, Sin Chew Daily apologised for the “technical mistake” leading to the Jalur Gemilang gaffe, saying it regretted the matter.

It also said the digital version of the illustration was immediately amended, while the amended version would be republished in print today.