The government had with all good intent and purpose declared that we will mark Merdeka with 30 days of pomp and celebration. Organisations from both the public and private sectors were expected to keep the spirit high from Aug 17.

But here are some observations that give a clue that all of us have to do some serious thinking as a nation. There are still many, many organisations including government agencies that have yet to fly the national flag at their premises come Merdeka Day.

There are organisations that have yet to replace their faded and tattered flags. The flags that are stuck to car windscreens can hardly last 20km as they get detached and dot the highways. Despite having introduced this feature for the past several years, we have yet to correct the problem of easy detachment. Perhaps it is meant to be this way to help sell more flags?

People are still bent on arguing that displaying our national pride and insignia once a year with the Malaysian flag is no big deal and is not an attestation of loyalty to and pride for the country.

Even some schools and institutions of higher learning have yet to demonstrate in a convincing manner that they are into the national day celebration mood.

And the national initiative to see more 'Bunga Raya' nationwide this Merdeka was not a full-fledged reality. The occasional rows of scrawny plants dotting the Kuala Lumpur city centre is a far cry from the launching of this initiative not too long ago.

There seems to be more interest in the entertainment lined up rather than a deeper appreciation of what National Day is to us and how we are to be an integral part of it for posterity.

Although some public transport companies have started playing the national anthem, commuters seem to be indifferent and it is not too exaggerated to state that there is reason to suspect that there is an absence of any conscious show of respect.

On the contrary, when you are in some of our neighbouring countries, or even in other far away destinations, one would be emotionally moved to see how their citizens demonstrate their piety, respect and honour when their national anthem is played on air or in public places.

We, however, expect the government to plead to get companies to join in the run-up to Merdeka. and even then, there is a recent indication that many companies are slow to come forward.

Organisations that put up decor on the other hand do not seem to have the spirit of monitoring and maintenance to ensure that the flags remain fluttering and are not soiled or tattered.

Then again we have lorries with fluttering flags, all covered in soot, while they are definitely also breaking the law with overloading and or speeding.

Certainly, something is grossly very wrong in our context. It will be interesting to see how our leaders would want to address this unspoken and perhaps even denied problem lurking in our midst.

It certainly is a serious problem that the government must take stock of and address quickly.