KUALA LUMPUR: More Jalur Gemilang magnets will be distributed this year to encourage Malaysians to express their patriotism in conjunction with National Day, says Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said the move would make it easier for vehicle owners to display the magnetised national flag on their vehicles instead of the usual mini cloth flags.
“This year, we are increasing the distribution of Jalur Gemilang magnets.
“These can be attached to and removed from either the front of a vehicle or the left-hand passenger door.
“This makes things easier for vehicle owners because, based on feedback we received previously, they prefer magnets compared with flags or items that must be permanently attached to their vehicles.
“This initiative is one improvement we have introduced this year,” he said when launching the “Ekspresi Jalur Gemilang” nationwide campaign involving all PETRONAS stations nationwide yesterday.
Fahmi also said this year’s month-long celebrations comprised the “One House, One Jalur Gemilang” initiative, which covers 11 programmes and nine clusters.
This approach, he noted, would involve sectors such as education, higher education, health, security, industry, places of worship and sports, as well as federal and state government agencies.
On a separate matter, Fahmi said his ministry would hold talks with the National Unity Ministry and the Health Ministry to cooperate on efforts to combat dengue through community programmes.
Among the proposals was a mega gotong-royong programme in conjunction with National Preparedness Month in October.
“I will discuss this with the Unity Minister since Rukun Tetangga is under his ministry and also look at closer cooperation with the Health Ministry in efforts to hold gotong-royong programmes,” he told reporters after launching a gotong-royong programme against dengue in Lembah Pantai yesterday, reported Bernama.
Fahmi said such a concerted effort was crucial given the concerning number of dengue cases recorded so far.
Based on data from the health authorities, he said a total of 52,123 dengue cases were recorded nationwide so far.
“For the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, the total is 9,465, while for Lembah Pantai, Bukit Bintang and Seputeh, the total is 2,779 as of today.
“These figures are quite worrying,” he said.
On measures to combat dengue in Lembah Pantai, Fahmi said discussions would be held with the Lembah Pantai District Health Office so that periodic spraying in affected residential areas can be implemented.
He added that the effort would begin as soon as possible, ahead of the October–December monsoon season, when increased rainfall is expected to create more Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.
