By Ravindran Raman Kutty

Our country's independence is the source of our pride, dignity, people and the nation.

August celebrates these essences, with Merdeka being at the end of the month.

However, I am quite perplexed by the lack of gala and gaiety of this celebration throughout our country. I only see sparse displays of our flag, be it in an office, petrol station, home or tall buildings, and government complexes.

Why is this so? What has become of the feeling of patriotism and gusto of rejoicing in our nation's history, development and growth?

We should continue to celebrate our Merdeka with all the pomp and gala to instill greater love for our nation called Malaysia. We should never fail or miss a single day in instilling the idea of independence in the young minds of every Malaysian. We should be proud in displaying our love to our flag, king and nation without an inch of doubt.

There must be concerted effort by all parties, including the government, in carrying out campaigns that will bring about the awareness and festivity of Merdeka.

MCO should not be an excuse for anyone not displaying the Malaysian flag.

My neighbor, a mother of three, praised me for my patriotism upon seeing my house gate being flanked by two national flags. I replied that it is very important that we instill the love for our nation by displaying the flag. She went on to say that the politicians are the ones we despise, not our beautiful nation.

The people must be clearly told that our nation cannot be equated to any politician except the founding fathers who have painstakingly crafted and built our nation, of which we are all very proud and respectful.

Politicians who are at loggerheads today and are jumping ships and forming new parties, need to be reminded that the country comes first before their political or personal interests.

We have had enough of this unwanted business of changing the kleptocrat government, but now we are back to square one with the same faces and styles.

The DYMM SPB YDP Agong must instruct all political parties and politicians to observe this month in a more sacred manner to bring about greater love and patriotism to the country. Cut the fights and battles among political parties and focus on the well-being of our people and nation. Arrest any politicians who do not toe the line of a peaceful nation.

The government should ensure that throughout every August there must be free distribution of flags at all petrol stations and 7-11 stores. This will encourage more Malaysians to display the flag, be it at home or at work, thus creating the euphoria of celebrating our National Day.

The media must play a greater role in creating this aura of love for our nation, by repeatedly running campaigns, contests and programs encouraging every Malaysian to bring out their love for our nation through this simple act of displaying our flag.

Promote Malaysians who go out of their way to do this, either in the most remote parts of the country or in an urban setting. Interviews must be aired to encourage this noble act of putting our nation in front of all the political or COVID-19 turbulence.

The social media which is always chasing "what is wrong" stories should pull up their socks to highlight "what is right" events in order to build a better nation especially during this memorable month of August.

We should not have to continuously report negative issues, but focus on light and positive sides, such as a kuey teow seller flying a flag or a pisang goreng seller proudly displaying the national flag. These are moving stories which will encourage more Malaysians to emulate and follow.

The private sector including public listed companies must take greater initiatives like doing mural paintings on the walls of low-cost flat, highways, community halls, MRT and LRT stations to encourage greater traction among Malaysians to show their love towards our nation.

Schools, colleges, and universities must take a bigger step in promoting, educating and preparing the future generations into believing in our nation by simple demonstrations of their love towards the nation, like displaying the flag, creating murals in schools and university walls, reinforcing the importance of our flag and its significance to the well-being of our nation.

48% of our population are youths. Imagine creating a society which is appreciative of its nation. We will certainly derive greater results once the love for the nation rises especially among the youths.

Collectively, we can play a bigger role in displaying our love to our nation, the simplest being flying the flag.

Let's do this today. Drop by any bookstore or stationery shop selling the flag and fly the beautiful pride of the nation from your home or workplace.

Every little effort of caring Malaysians will make a difference in moving our national pride and love to a higher ground.

(Ravindran Raman Kutty is an active social worker.)