A viral Facebook post has reignited public outcry over the safety of pin-style Jalur Gemilang badges after a young Malaysian girl was injured when one pierced her heel recently.
Photos circulating online show the girl seated in a wheelchair at a health clinic, with another close-up revealing the sharp badge pin lodged deep in her foot.
ALSO READ: Fadhlina urges use of current pin-style Jalur Gemilang badges amid parents’ safety concerns
According to Saja Viral Facebook post, the badge had fallen off her brother’s school uniform and ended up on the car seat — unnoticed, until she stepped on it.
“Attention to all parents, please be cautious with Malaysian flag pins. It’s safer to use the ones that can be sewn or stuck directly onto clothing.
“The free pin-type ones might not be suitable for children under 8 years old.
“Young kids aren’t fully aware of the risks—this one even came loose from his older brother’s shirt without anyone noticing and ended up on the car seat,” the post read.
The incident comes after the Ministry of Education mandated that all students, from schools to matriculation colleges and teacher training institutes, wear the Jalur Gemilang badge on their uniforms starting April 21.
But the rule has been met with growing backlash, particularly from parents concerned about the potential dangers of using sharp pins on young children.
Despite previous complaints, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had urged parents to stick with the original design. “We’ve already given them out for free — the type that you pin on. Use those first,” she reportedly said.
Now, with the incident going viral, netizens are calling on the ministry to rethink the badge format — before another child gets hurt.
One user called Radin Emma wrote: “I hope the school can switch to using the type of Malaysian flag that sticks directly onto the shirt. That would be better — for example, if a student has three uniforms, then there would be three stick-on flags.
“Because with these pin-type flags, kids often just throw them away after changing clothes, and as shown above, it can even become dangerous. So I hope the school management can consider switching to the stick-on type.”
Rse Rose commented, “Actually, there’s no need to put the Jalur Gemilang on school uniforms because when there’s no clear idea, this is what happens... there are many more important things to think about for the progress of education.
