COMMENT | In times of national frustration, it may feel easier to retreat than to resist. But I believe that now, more than ever, is the time to assert our sense of belonging - not surrender it.

That is why I will fly the Jalur Gemilang this season of celebrating our nationhood during our Merdeka and Malaysia Day.

Yes, it is disheartening to witness how some politicians exploit honest mistakes - like the incorrect display of the flag by those unfamiliar with its details - to stoke division.

These opportunists do not seek truth or unity. They seek a platform to score cheap political points at the expense of social harmony.

But to respond by not putting up the flag in protest is, to me, to hand them a victory they do not deserve.