IT’S been 69 years since Malaysia has achieved independence. This coming Merdeka is but another sweet reminder of how far we have journeyed, and the goals we are still working to achieve.
Amidst the spirit of patriotism that flies high during this special celebration, one issue stands out like a sore thumb.
Every year, there will be incidents where people are caught flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down.
And every time, the issue is blown out of proportion. Perhaps this is best summed up by a netizen on X who prompted discussion with her thought provoking post.
Going by the name @amuse_gueule, she urged Malaysians to stop turning mistakes involving the Jalur Gemilang into online witch hunts, saying simple misunderstandings should be addressed through education rather than public shaming.
According to @amuse_gueule, people who spot the national flag being displayed incorrectly would immediately record the incident, post it online and wait for public outrage instead of approaching those involved and helping them correct the mistake.
I honestly don’t understand this 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁 over how people are flying the Jalur Gemilang.
If you see someone flying the flag incorrectly, why is the first instinct to take out your phone, record them, post it online and wait for the outrage? 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿… pic.twitter.com/brogOPLtFc
— Mom of KL™️ (@amuse_gueule) August 29, 2026
“Unfortunately, this is the age of social media. Everybody wants content. Everybody wants reach. Clicks, shares, likes, virality. And outrage gets all of those very quickly,” she said.
“But at what cost? Are we really willing to humiliate another Malaysian, create anger and suspicion, and set the whole country fighting with one another just because somebody might have made a mistake with a flag? And politicians, please. Not every mistake needs to become a national controversy,” she continued.
Quite a number of netizens have since chipped in to offer their opinion regarding the subject in the comment section.
According to @Kmeng11, he has stopped flying the national flag to avoid such risks.
“You have to ask Akmal, he is the one who started all this issues. He will make loud noise if the offender is non muslim,” pointed out @New93795819.
Besides Akmal Salleh, the chief minister of Kedah, Sanusi, deserves a mention too as seen in our previous article here.
Then there was @rahah_ghazali who lamented that being divisive is actually beneficial.
But some netizens think flying the national flag upside down is no small matter.
Netizen @mrfugitive012 added that the people who fly the Jalur Gemilang upside down usually do it on purpose, so the humiliation that follows is justified.
Perhaps, in the heat of defending the Jalur Gemilang, we sometimes forget what it is supposed to represent – a nation made up of people from different backgrounds, beliefs and walks of life.
Correcting a mistake is one thing. Turning it into a public spectacle is another.
As Merdeka approaches, the real test of patriotism is not how loudly we condemn others, but how responsibly we choose to treat one another. After all, the flag belongs to all Malaysians. So does the responsibility to keep the peace.—Aug 30, 2026
Main image: Newswav
