United Malays National Organization (Malaysia)

Perrtubukan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu

Last modified: 2007-02-14 by ian macdonald
Keywords: umno | keris | daggerjawi | sang saka bangsa |
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Source: United Malays National Organization website.

• Description of the flag

See also:

• Political Parties and Associations (Malaysia)
• Malaysia

Description of the flag

Smith 1975, pp. 340-341 ("Symbols in politics"): "United Malays National Organization. Horizontal red over white, in the middle a yellow disk outline in red and including a kriss (Malayan curved dagger)".
Ivan Sache, 6 August 1999

The UMNO Flag is a bi-colour of red over white, charged in the center a yellow circle, on which is charged a green keris (the traditional Malay dagger), as can be seen at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/malaysia/p10.htm.
Herman Felani, 22 March 2004

The UMNO Youth held a competition to name the UMNO flag to celebrate the party's 60th anniversary. The Malaysian National News Agency Bernama unveiled on 10 November 2006 the proposal made by the UMNO Youth:
"Umno Youth will propose for the 60-year-old party flag to be named "Sang Saka Bangsa" (embodiment the race's spiritual heritage) at Umno's general assembly next week. The move to name the Umno flag had generated widespread support from party members and veterans, said Umno Youth secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
[...]
The Umno general assembly will be held from Monday until Nov 17 at the Putra World Trade Centre, here.
[...]
The red and white flag with a symbol of the keris and jawi writing in the shape of a sampan was accepted as the design for the Umno flag at the second party general assembly at the Ipoh Municipal Hall on June 29, 1946. Abdul Rahman said the name was derived from a combination of five names which were short-listed from 2,000 entries in a contest in conjunction with the party's 60th anniversary. In a statement, Aziz said although the name sounded alien it was genuinely Malay. "Sang Saka are Malay words despite Indonesia naming its flag Sang Saka Merah Putih," he said, adding that "Sang" was a polite address in a highly cultured Malay society in the past. He said "Saka" meant the heritage of the Malay civilisation or spirit as a credible civilisation, while "Bangsa" portrayed a sovereign Malay race clamouring for its rights and honour."

Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=228922

Ivan Sache, 13 November 2006