PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the two parties had magnified the controversy through the reciprocal actions of both parties “with their own reasons and motives”.

Takiyuddin said they should not involve the police, who would be burdened with unnecessary workload, or the public, who would be drawn into unhealthy and unproductive discussions.

“This is especially so because the situation arose merely from the act of a single person who hoisted the Jalur Gemilang upside down, a matter which is already under police investigation,” he said.

Takiyuddin said PAS has instructed its youth wing not to interfere in the matter.

He was referring to DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook’s directive to DAP Youth to lodge police reports across the country over a demonstration by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh near a hardware shop in Kepala Batas on Thursday.

The protest was held after the shop owner mistakenly hoisted a Jalur Gemilang flag upside down, which led to public outrage when the video became viral.

Takiyuddin criticised Loke, calling his actions “excessive, inappropriate, and potentially worsening the situation”.

He also called on both sides to respect and support the police investigation without adding unnecessary pressure, warning that failure to do so would risk making matters worse.

“An issue originally involving just one person will then spill over, drawing the wider public into a destructive cycle,” he said.