I think we can all agree that loving for our nation is different from loving the ruling establishment of the day. Otherwise citizenship and changing the government of the day have no basis to co-exist.

I believe Jalur Gemilang is the symbol of our nationhood. Loving it is to show our love for the country. Frankly, I can’t wait to hear NegaraKu sung and Jalur Gemilang hoisted in one of the coming Olympic award ceremonies in Rio this time around.

Loving our nation and all the symbols that come along with it should rightly come from our hearts. It must be a spontaneous and voluntary action, not a fake one borne out of coercion or threat of punishment.

Now let me come back to Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPSJ) decision to fine businesses failing to fly Jalur Gemilang during the national day ‘season’ from Aug 15 to Sept 16 each year. According to the council’s president, a compound of up to RM1,000 will be issued to those who fail to display the national flag during the stipulated period. This is supposed to encourage the spirit of patriotism among residents and to enliven the National Day celebrations.

How much does a Jalur Gemilang cost now, RM30.00? Is this the price of patriotism and loyalty in Malaysia today?

I think it is not right to coerce the business community to fly the national flags. It is akin to forcing them to make a declaration without taking into consideration their true feeling.

For goodness sake, why can’t we leave the decision to the people, let them do it out of their own free will. Sometimes people fail to ‘cheer up’ an occasion because they are too occupied with other issues or problems - like for example, the Goods and Services Tax (GST), high cost of doing business, falling revenue, poor market sentiment, tax burdens, et cetera.

I don’t know; to me, sometimes paying taxes honestly and on time is more patriotic than flying a national flag or having our leaders talking hauntingly about goals and visions.

By all means the authorities should encourage, but never ever resort to coercion when come to showing patriotism.

Forcing people to be patriotic is like asking them to fake an orgasm. It can’t last, and it is only going to create more frustration.