Flying the flag without fear

Borneo Post

a day ago

Our flag belongs to all of us. Let it fly with pride, not fear. — Bernama photo
AS National Day is approaching, an association founder posted on Facebook, perhaps in jest, perhaps not, that this year, to avoid trouble, they would rather not fly the flag at all.
I laughed at first, but on second thoughts, how did we reach to such a point when flying or not flying the Jalur Gemilang is like a risky decision?
Where has it gone wrong?
It is not supposed to be this way – the national flag should be a uniting symbol, one that stirs pride, not anxiety.
Yet, in 2025, it seems that putting up a flag can land you in a storm of political outrage, social media condemnation, and even police investigation.
The current flare-up began with a 20-second video.
A man was holding the Jalur Gemilang upside down while another recorded him.
The clip was posted online, quickly shared by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, and accompanied by calls to brand the men 'traitors' to the nation.
The store owner explained that he had been measuring the length of an iron pole and did not realise the flag was inverted.
But the damage was done. Accusations flew. Political parties weighed in.
Police swiftly opened investigations under three separate laws.
Here we are again, engaged in public quarrel over a piece of cloth that is supposed to represent all of us.
Yes, the Jalur Gemilang is more than fabric – it deserves respect as a symbol of our history, unity and shared aspirations.
But symbols draw their strength from the people who believe in them, not from the number of threats, rallies, or police reports filed in their name.
Mistakes happen. Sometimes they are careless; other times, they are accidents.
Like in this case, it is simply the result of a man holding a pole the wrong way and was caught on handphone by another person, who shared it on social media.
When our first instinct is to assume treachery rather than human error, patriotism becomes a minefield.
I have been there myself this week in a smaller, less public way.
My own design department sent me a draft for a National Day greeting advertisement.
I looked at it and, out of habit, began counting the stripes on the flag in the design.
Oh dear — only five instead of the correct seven red stripes.
For a split second, I considered telling them to remove the flag entirely from the design to avoid any potential mistake or criticism.
But I did not. Instead, I applied extra care to make sure the flag was correct before approving the final version.
That's what respect looks like – act responsibly, not in fear.
This is where we need to pause and ask ourselves: what happens when ordinary citizens, associations, or even media designers hesitate to use the flag because they are afraid of making a mistake?
The chilling effect is real. The flag becomes a symbol of potential trouble rather than shared pride.
It starts to belong not to the people, but to those loudest in claiming the right to defend it.
If the sight of the Jalur Gemilang no longer inspires unity, but instead triggers anxiety about whether it's at the right height, at the right angle, or facing the right way to avoid a viral backlash, we have hollowed out its meaning.
DAP Youth has accused Umno Youth of selective outrage, pointing out that mistakes involving the national flag by the Education Ministry or the Terengganu PAS chapter did not prompt similar rallies.
This isn't a trivial point.
Patriotism cannot be partisan. You can't cry 'traitor' when an opponent errs, but chuckle and move on when an ally does the same.
If the flag truly stands for the whole country, then respect – and criticism – must be applied equally, regardless of political colour.
Otherwise, the flag is no longer a national emblem – it becomes a political prop.
The Jalur Gemilang was never meant to be a weapon for silencing others.
It was meant to be a banner that flies over all of us, no matter our political leanings, ethnicity, religion, or place of birth.
It is the flag that drapes our athletes when they win medals; the one schoolchildren wave on parade day; the one raised in moments of national joy and national mourning.
When we fight over it as if it were the private property of one group, we strip it of its dignity.
When we scare people into avoiding it altogether, we strip it of its meaning.
Perhaps what we need is a cooler, kinder form of patriotism – one that teaches rather than threatens, that corrects rather than condemns.
If someone hangs the flag wrongly, we should show them the right way, not show up in a crowd to shame them.
If a school or a government department makes a printing mistake, we should point it out without politicising it.
If a neighbour doesn't have a flag, maybe offer one instead of judging.
In other words: let the flag fly because people love it, not because they fear being labelled unpatriotic.
So, to the association that joked about not flying the flag this year to avoid trouble, I'd say fly it anyway.
Fly it even if someone might nit-pick.
Fly it even if social media seems ready to pounce.
Fly it, because the Jalur Gemilang belongs to you as much as it belongs to anyone else – politicians, parties, or otherwise.
And do what I did with my advertisement: check it twice, count the stripes, make sure it's right.
Not because you're scared, but because you care.
A flag flown in fear is not a flag honoured, but a flag flown with care, despite the noise, is a flag truly respected.
This National Day, let's reclaim the Jalur Gemilang from the politics of overreaction.
Let's put it back where it belongs – in the hands and hearts of the people. Jalur Gemilang malaysia national day