Why aren't many flying the Jalur Gemilang?

To start off with, flying the Jalur Gemilang is not the only way to signify that one is patriotic. Just like going dutifully to one's place of worship does not mean that one is truly devout or penitent.

But this is an interesting point raised on 31 Aug 2009, by one Kontan from Ipoh. Certainly I would agree with others that the monetary cost of buying a Jalur Gemilang is not a reason at all for the perceived dampened spirits for Merdeka Day.

So what's going on? Why might the Merdeka spirit be dampened?

Could it be that it's because:

1) Perakians have been robbed of their legally elected state government

2) Selangorians are watching the daily drama of BN trying to wrest the state back from PR

3) BN does not seem to have the grace and diginity to let the legally elected and victorius party run the relevant states until the next elections

4) Our anti corruption authority is widely seen to be a toothless tiger entirely under the direction of the govt - and is capable only of harrassing the weak and powerless, while those living in Dallas/ Falcon Crest style mansions funded by dubious means are untouched

5) After 52 years, the non-Malays are still lablelled as "pendatang" - look at the US and Australia, melting pots of various peoples. Do note that the only "originals" of a country are its indigenous "orang asli".

6) Malaysia loves to claim that so-and-so residing overseas is a Malaysian (or was born in Malaysia), whenever such an individual becomes famous for sport, academics or scientific invention - but why is that person overseas and not here in Malaysia? Maybe because that individual was not given the nurturing and opportunity by Malaysia which another foreign country was generous and open-minded enough to give him.

I am not ashamed to be a Malaysian, and for the little opportunity that I have been given by my country, I am grateful. But Malaysia and its leaders could really be so much more educated, open minded, merit-centric and fair.