Flag blunder gives patriotic Akmal ammunition to position himself as an undisputed race, religion defender

Focus Malaysia

3 days ago

AS SOON as a politician opens his mouth to speak on any issue – big or small – the whole matter becomes politicised.
The latest storm to hit the headlines is the brouhaha over the national flag – the Jalur Gemilang – which was flown upside down at a Chinese-medium school.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke claimed that 'certain quarters' were trying to politicise the incident but by virtue of his party status, he laid himself opened to prompt retaliation.
UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh – the ever the party sentinel and warrior – returned fire, pointing out that Loke himself had politicised the issue by touching on the incident.
Both politicians are playing politics but the more controversial of the two is Akmal who is ever on the look-out for sensitive issues to exploit and play to the gallery.
True to form, Akmal went ballistic seeing the flag incident as a form of disrespect to your country. If you turned the flag upside down, it means you do not love your country. You have no fire of patriotism in your belly.
Patriotism is such a loaded word today for it can be used or misused to suit one's political purpose. In the Malaysian context, when you say you are a patriot, it means you are largely fighting for your race and religion.
Patriotic opportunist
But when you say you are not patriotic, it connotes that you do not want to defend your country with your life.
The argument can be further stretched to mean that you have no right to call Malaysia your home and must therefore be stripped of your citizenship or be treated like second-class citizens.
It is not too difficult to fathom what Akmal is really aiming at when he beat his breast and screamed: 'I am a patriot!'
The 'mistake' – accidental or not – happened in a Chinese-medium school and therein lies the crux of the matter: Akmal seems to be questioning the loyalty of an ethnic race, not just the students.
Although the Education Ministry has promised a tough response against SJKC Chung Hua in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan where the incident took place, Akmal might have other ideas in mind.
He, too, wants stern action to be taken but what type of punishment can satisfy his political appetite?
Let's make an educated guess. At a time when the existence of Chinese-medium schools has always been questioned, Akmal perhaps wants to see all such schools transformed into national schools where, he believes, patriotism is deeply embedded.
Political mileage
If this becomes a reality, this UMNO tiger would receive a tremendous boost to his political ambition and could be well on his way to a higher rank in the party or even gets a shot at an important cabinet post in the future.
Akmal picks and chooses which topic can light up the country and in patriotism, not tariff reduction (a difficult subject), for he finds this is an ideal platform to whip up a perfect storm.
Like clockwork, the Barbarism SOP kicks in whenever we approach a 'sensitive' patriotic season.
Say the wrong thing, share the wrong post, blink in the wrong direction — and congratulations, you're suddenly 'anti-national.'
The witch hunt begins. Doesn't matter who you are, or… pic.twitter.com/v8g2iJkGSb
— Fahmi Yumi 🕊 (@kaiyumi42) August 6, 2025
Patriotism carries within it the seeds of race and religion and can readily catch the attention of the grassroots Malays when all this potent combination is exploited.
Patriotism also means you must defend king and country and a flag represents the fighting spirit of the citizens.
So, when Akmal sees a flag flying upside down, it is equivalent to burning it or stomping on it. And when the incident happened in a Chinese-medium school, it is unforgiveable because it seemingly calls into question the loyalty of the Chinese community.
Akmal's diehard fans may even postulate that Chinese schools do not teach patriotism or inculcate its spirit in their pupils and therefore they pose a threat to national security in the future.
This is a simplistic argument which does not carry much weight because the Chinese – and all the other ethnic communities for that matter – have always called Malaysia their home.
They have long ago planted the flag of patriotism in this native soil to which they will live, work and die in this tanaair kita (our motherland) – with or without Akmal. – Aug 7, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.