A digital content filming team from the Malaysian Media Council came to my office ahead of National Day and asked me four questions.
The first question was: “What does Merdeka mean to you?”
My answer was: Merdeka doesn’t just mean national independence and sovereignty; more importantly, it should allow every single person to identify with the sentiment: “We are all Malaysians.”
Regardless of our ethnicity, religious belief, or the language we speak, everyone should feel that they have a place in this country and are part of this land.
Unfortunately, another upside-down flag incident occurred this year. The police in Kulai subsequently arrested a 48-year-old local female employee and a Nepalese male security guard, remanding them for four days to assist with investigations.
Earlier, the municipal council invoked Sections 45 (“Display of Flags”) and 49(2) (“Power to Close Premises”) of the Kulai Municipal Council Licensing of Trades, Businesses and Industries By-Laws 2019 to temporarily shut down the factory involved.
The company’s directors were required to provide an explanation to the municipal council and sign a letter of commitment to ensure such an incident would not repeat.
Why must we make an annual National Day feel so heavy?
Indeed, ensuring the national flag is correctly flown, published, or used is a responsibility every citizen must take seriously.
However, we must also acknowledge that no one in this world is perfect.
People inevitably have moments of distraction, carelessness, or unintended mistakes. When a mistake happens, it certainly needs to be corrected—but correcting an error and magnifying or punishing an error are not the same thing.
Just like in our daily lives at home: a wife brews coffee in the morning and intends to add sugar, but mistakenly scoops salt into the coffee instead. When the husband notices, he simply reminds her to change it for a fresh cup. Must he fly into a rage over it and turn what should have been a pleasant morning into an argument?
Similarly, hanging the national flag upside down is certainly wrong. Yet how we handle this mistake reflects the maturity and inclusiveness of our society.
If police, municipal enforcement officers, or even the Prime Minister, ministers, mayors, and elected representatives spot a business or factory displaying the flag upside down, they could simply record a short video of themselves helping fix it. Posting it online would offer a simple, positive way to educate the public on proper flag protocol.
Doing this isn’t condoning the error; it’s correcting the mistake while teaching others at the same time.
By contrast, if every upside-down flag incident leads to an immediate police report, summonses, and investigations—followed by round after round of online magnification—it not only adds to the workload of enforcement personnel, but also risks turning a day meant for joy and celebration into one filled with tension and fear, deepening mutual hostility and confrontation.
We really don’t need to keep magnifying these flag mishaps.
When a society focuses all its attention on “who hung the flag wrong again,” the things that truly demand our focus tend to get overlooked.
This nation still has plenty of work waiting for us to collaborate on and accomplish.
We need to raise educational standards and improve living and business environments; we need to place greater emphasis on children’s growth and psychological well-being; and we need to fight crime, eradicate abuse of power and corruption, as well as enhance governance capacity.
These matters directly affect the people’s quality of life, happiness index, and the nation’s development and competitiveness.
Aren’t these far more important than chasing down a misprinted or incorrectly hung flag?
If our elected officials, netizens, and scholars spend every National Month doing nothing but waiting for someone to hang a flag wrong—stirring up trouble online and constantly magnifying errors that don’t even make up a fraction of a percent—who will still dare to fly the national flag during National Day celebrations?
When everyone chooses not to hang the flag at all out of fear of making a mistake, being filmed, or facing public condemnation online, that would be the most regrettable outcome of all.
National Day should be a time for us to reconnect with the feeling of “I am Malaysian,” not a day for finding fault and berating one another.
The true spirit of Merdeka doesn’t just ask us to hang the flag right side up; it reminds us that in this diverse nation, we must learn to respect one another, tolerate one another, and give each other the space to correct our mistakes.
The final question from the Malaysian Media Council was:
“If you could send one message to young Malaysians this Merdeka, what would you say?”
My response was: Stay united, cherish one another, and do not let politics divide us. Regardless of our background, language, or faith, we are all Malaysians first. Only by respecting each other and embracing our differences can we work hand in hand to build a better Malaysia. – August 23, 2026
Datuk Kuik Cheng Kang is Group Editor-in-Chief of Media Chinese International Malaysia