I really sympathise with Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

While the 29th SEA Games opening ceremony was indeed smooth and exceptionally good, veritably one of the best opening shows in the history of the Games, the focus of the public the following day was nonetheless not on the opening show, but on the misprinted Indonesian flag in the souvenir booklet.

Of course, the mistake was made and could not be undone, neither could we evade our responsibility.

But the controversy could have been avoided. If the Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi had alerted his Malaysian counterpart in private immediately after discovering the mistake and demanded remedial action instead of showing his temper on social media, this whole thing would not have happened in the first place.

As a matter of fact, the significance of the SEA Games has been to promote greater unity, cooperation and mutual understanding among Asean states, not to be exploited as a platform for political tussles.

Moreover, anyone could tell that the mistake was not made on purpose.

Having discovered the mistake, Khairy instantly texted an apology and made an appointment for a personal apology the following afternoon.

In the end, the Indonesian minister made Khairy wait at the hotel for quite some time before he showed up.

Luckily, Indonesian president Joko Widodo helped calm the situation so that the tension would not escalate.

The Games went on, and Khairy himself took part in the polo event and won.

From a positive aspect, Khairy, in the midst of his busy schedule, still took time off for polo training and represented the country in the Games, and this should serve as a role model for our athletes and all young Malaysians.

However, a subsequent post from the Johor Sultan triggered some fury among netizens who slammed Khairy for his flamboyance. The minister responded by personally paying a visit to the sultan in the hopes of averting any unnecessary misunderstanding.

Just as our athletes were making steady advances in their gold rush towards the ultimate goal of becoming overall champion, some keyboard warriors hit out at the KL Games, calling it a complete disaster. They invariably targeted their wrath at Khairy.

Khairy penned a reply explaining the preparation works for the Games. He even welcomed his critics to go down to the stadiums to see the event for themselves.

Some others linked the SEA Games to politics, arguing that Khairy had a personal agenda as he wanted a boost from the Games to help him advance his political ambitions.

As youth and sports minister, he has been entrusted by the government with overseeing the organisation of the KL Games, and indeed he has a duty to see that things are in order.

Of course, he should be given credit for a job well done, but if something goes wrong, he should be held accountable and his political future could be at stake, too.

The SEA Games belongs to all countries in Southeast Asia and its principal objective is to promote further cooperation and understanding while manifesting neighbourliness among regional countries.

As the host, each and every one of us has something to do with this Games. If it is not done well, it won’t just be a matter of Khairy alone. He needs the encouragement, support and participation of the whole nation, not demoralising remarks, sarcastic criticism and constant fault-finding.

I attended the opening ceremony and watched a number of matches. I saw how our athletes gave their very best to fight for the country’s glory.

I saw how the workers toiled under mounting pressure to ensure that every detail was well taken care of.

I also saw how the volunteers at various venues led the spectators into the stadiums under the merciless sun and picked up the rubbish on the floor after each match.

As for the journalists, they have been following closely each and every match to deliver the most exciting news stories to their audience.

All these people have been fully devoted to doing something for the nation and people, and helping to make the KL Games the best ever.

Sure enough there were inadequacies, but like all the athletes, no one can ensure 100% perfection for any major sporting event.

Most importantly, it belongs to us all. Before we start cursing, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we have contributed anything to it.

Tay Tian Yan writes for Sin Chew Daily.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.