Stop weaponising the Jalur Gemilang

I AM sure that by now, everyone is feeling apprehensive about displaying our Jalur Gemilang.

Even genuine mistakes will be punished in ways never witnessed before as we approach our 68th year of Independence.

Our nation appears to be more divided than ever – not only in terms of politics, race and religion, but in nearly every aspect of life, including our relationship with the flag.

Perhaps it is reflective of our society today; as people, we are drifting apart. Nothing seems to be uniting us anymore.

Everything is defined by politics, race, religion and more.

The narratives are getting scarier as political parties and their followers are succumbing to race politics.

“That is politics” is an excuse to harm, endanger and destabilise the fragile nature of our multiracial society.

Even at the august Dewan Rakyat, the vitriol and hatred are unashamedly manifested. MPs, armed with social media, project the hate live on TV for everyone to witness and spread.

It is not just the shouting matches that are disturbing but the content of those speeches are supposedly protected from any prosecution.

Speeches made on political stages are being replicated with ferocity this time, as the licence to speak freely, unaltered, uncensored and unplugged is guaranteed. Immunity has never been so ghastly misused before.

Alas, social media! It has become a weapon of mass destruction, utilised with demonic intensity to smear, discredit and assassinate the characters of those we don’t like or disagree with. The platforms are rewriting the way we differ, argue and reason.

Now we have another reason to fight – the sacred Jalur Gemilang.

The flag is more than a symbol of pride, honour and dignity. It is the reflection of us – the real “us” – the people of this country.

No other symbol surpasses that of the flag as a sign of patriotism and nationhood. As a nation a flag is, in Shakespeare’s words, “the map of honour, truth and loyalty.”

But what has become of our intention to defend it?

Some are weaponising it for their own malicious intent.

The flag is the new excuse to find fault and undermine others, to prove others are less loyal than them. For the slightest excuse, a swarm of supporters demonstra­ted against a shopkeeper whose fault was either stupidity or ignorance for displaying the flag upside down.

We have seen how a Chinese newspaper company was vilified for a mistake with the flag.

Even the police had to publicly handcuff the editors responsible, in full view of the world.

Had it not been for another “mistake” in an examination result booklet owned by the Education Ministry, the management of Sin Chew Daily would have been hauled to court.

The Sin Chew case fizzled out after the Education Ministry, just like others, issued an apology. So did the owner of the shop in Kepala Batas, the site of patriotism gone awry.

Does it matter if mistakes are made? I am sure it does. Should we tolerate such a display of ludicrousness? No.

But can we accept the apology for such a mistake? Just like the officers of the Education Ministry, the editors of Sin Chew and Kwong Wah Yit Poh, a school in Port Dickson, a Singapore exhibitor, and the owner of the hardware shop in Kepala Batas, we should.

It would be foolish of them to intentionally do what they did. Even words are auto-corrected in our writing apps, and so too are images, AI or otherwise.

I believe no one in his or her right mind would want to hina (insult) the flag.

The saddest thing is that the flag controversies culminate into something else, replete with racial undertones.

In cyberspace, all kinds of accusations are made, and provocations and threats are issued.

Even the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has had to come out with a statement to remind the public not to take matters into their own hands.

The relevant authorities should address protocol breaches involving the Jalur Gemilang.

I totally agree with the AGC that improper installation or display of the national flag is a serious matter and should be treated as such. But weaponising the flag for political gain is another matter.

We cannot allow political bullies to dictate the agenda for the nation. Patriotism should not turn our young into political bullies.

Nationhood in a multiracial construct like ours means a lot of tolerance and understanding.

The flag, like the national anthem, is sacrosanct. But acting beyond the pale of decency and the parameters of law to penalise mistakes is totally unacceptable. We are a nation of law and order. 

The writer is a veteran journalist. The views expressed here are his own.