Malaysians urged set aside political ideologies and fly the 'Jalur Gemilang'

Political ideologies should not be an obstacle and must be set aside by Malaysians to fly the Jalur Gemilang (national flag) and express love for the nation, said Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Modern Languages and Communication Faculty, Department of Malay Language senior lecturer Dr Sharil Nizam Sha'ri.

He said Malaysians should proudly fly the national flag.

"The national flag is not merely a piece of cloth with four colours. It is the national identity to be respected at all times, especially during the month of independence," he told Bernama at UPM near here, Wednesday.

He said flying the Jalur Gemilang was among the ways to show love for the nation and respecting the struggle and sacrifices of the national warriors who fell 58 years ago.

Commenting on the latest way netizens were showing patriotism, who preferred to upload the image of the Malaysian flag on social media including Facebook as a symbol of loyalty to the nation, he said it could be viewed positively without mixing it up with politics.

In addition, he urged the private media to come forward with advertisements and public service announcements on the fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign to help invoke the patriotic spirit.

Malaysians celebrate National Day with the theme 'One heart, One soul" on Aug 31.