Turn Them Upside Down!

If flying a colorful piece of cloth upright denotes love and respect from Mr Prime Minister’s perspective, I deduce then that the opposite is equally true – that placing something upside down denotes repulsion and utter disgust.

I’m starting with these.

Turn Them Upside Down!

Blogger Kickdefella is currently under probe by the Royal Malaysian Police Force for allegedly performing an ‘evil’ act of flying the nation’s flag upside down as a sign of national distresss.

The maverick blogger-filmaker has cited credible sources and references to support his claims that flying the national flag upside down is a signal of distress, and by no means a mark of disrespect to the country. Raja Petra Kamaruddin in a recent article, has backed the former’s claims.

Nevertheless, incumbent Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has ordered an immediate probe into the act of flying the flag upside down, describing it as uncouth behaviour and a despicable act.

In typical and increasingly stale UMNO doctrine, the Malaysian premier regards flag-flying and flag-adoration during the independence month an act of true patriotism.

Failure to do hoist the Jalur Gemilang or to do so in the fashion and way UMNO sees fit is seemingly unpatriotic, treasonous and a mark of hatred towards the nation.

I love this country. In spite of all the nonsense and turbulence the nation is putting itself through these days, Malaysia is still the land I was born and raised in.

In fact, if I do not care about the nation’s future, I wouldn’t give a damn about the country’s governance, her shrinking economy, the escalating crime rate, persistent brain drain, worsening pollution or the health of her citizens.

The very fact of criticisms and vigilance is an act of patriotism.

Love to the nation can be put to practice in more ways than one.

The simple habit of refraining from littering our streets as though every road is named after our grandfather is a very untainted form of patriotism.

Recycling one’s garbage goes a long way towards preserving the nation’s natural assets for the future generations of Malaysians, both humans and non-humans.

Registering as a voter and going out there to the ballot box come elections speaks volumes about one’s concern for the nation, never mind the fact that it is only one vote, unless of course one is on UMNO’s payroll in which one might be entitled to multiple votes.

Conserving the citizens’ taxes by not abusing government resources and machinery is a demonstration of nationalism by means of omission as opposed to commission.

Patriotism should be advocated as a lifestyle and not seasonal exhibitionism come every August.

Surely a government dissident who earns an honest living is more of patriot than a minister who siphons off the people’s money through corrupted practices and shady deals?

That unfortunately, is not the ideal espoused by the current regime.

If flying a colorful piece of cloth upright denotes love and respect from Mr Prime Minister’s perspective, I deduce then that the opposite is equally true – that placing something upside down denotes repulsion and utter disgust.

I’m starting with these.