STREET protests have become not only a regular feature of Malaysian life but also a hobby.
If you don’t like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, take to the streets to bring the Prime Minister down.
If you want to pressure the court to give a favourable ruling about a state’s right to enact religious laws, gather in the thousands and swamp the ground of the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya.
If you don’t want Malaysia to sign any international treaty that threatens the status of the national religion and the rights and privileges of the sons of the soil, holler for a massive demonstration on the battlefield of Dataran Merdeka.
If a franchise holder happens to sell food products of a country whose foreign policy clashes with our stand, call for rallies and boycott the brand.
And now comes the latest addition – if you see the Jalur Gemilang fluttering upside down, stage rallies outside the business premises or even schools to teach the culprits how to behave like true patriots.
A 59-year-old man has been arrested over an incident involving the Jalur Gemilang being displayed upside down.
Penang police have received 16 reports nationwide, with 12 lodged in the state alone.
Investigation papers will be submitted to the DPP with a recommendation for… https://t.co/ncxsqqW3Ag pic.twitter.com/v4RzuZub9h
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) August 10, 2025
Selective persecution
The list can go on and on to infinity because any incident – trivial or serious – can now be food for fodder for opportunists seeking to manufacture instant controversy and instant fame.
In the latest uproar over the national flag, it appears that heroes like UMNO Youth big gun Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh are out to target one community for allegedly showing disrespect to this symbol of sovereignty and national pride.
It so happened that the flag gaffe had occurred in a Chinese-medium school and a Chinese hardware shop.
But the anak jantan (literally “male child”) was quick to pounce on the incident to make it look as if the other ethnic group does not owe its loyalty to Malaysia – the country they called their one and only home.
He calls for severe punishment to be meted out, especially to the 59-year-old store owner whose premises ironically was the only one on the street to fly the Jalur Gemilang.
The subtext of his message is – such harsh sentence must serve as a collective lesson for the whole Chinese community whose sense of patriotism is dubious or simply put it, fake.
Fuelling own political mileage
This “headmaster” wants to teach the “others” lessons on patriotism not because he is driven by the spirit of unity but one suspects, more by pure political expediency.
By the time the next general election comes a calling – sometime in 2028 – this Russia-trained medical doctor would have scored high marks that would make him an ideal candidate for a seat in Parliament.
So, from now on, he will get into his UMNO patrol car and drive all over the country to check every Chinese shop and Chinese-medium school to see whether their flags are flying upright or downright wrong.
Or order all UMNO Youth foot soldiers to get onto their motorcycles and report back every infringement of the national flag.
Akmal’s hobby – whipping up racial sentiments and calling for racially-charged rallies – will keep him and all like-minded politicians on their toes for as long as the politics of divisiveness and bigotry holds sway over the life of the nation.
Although the planned rally – dubbed Maruah Tanah Airku (literally, “For the Pride of My Nation”) – against the hardworking owner of the hardware store in Penang has been postponed after his arrest, the incident would never be forgotten because Akmal has forever earned the contempt and anger of all patriotic fellow citizens. – Aug 12, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
