Nurture patriotic spirit continuously, not seasonally - Dr Sheikh Muszaphar

The spirit of patriotism should be nurtured all the time and not seasonally, said Malaysian astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.

He said it should be instilled as early as four years old.

"I think the appreciation of nationalism among teenagers and Malaysians brings pride but the problem is this is only done on certain days, for example, on National Day. It is only on these occasions that we want to fly the flag, but we should have the spirit of nationalism and patriotism all year round.

"We must have the spirit of patriotism not only physically but more so in our minds. We must change the paradigm of one's mind to always be patriotic. So, this is the challenge that we must take up and we have to learn from kindergarten, or from the age of four to five years old, to cultivate this spirit in our children,’’ he said in a special interview on Bernama Radio here today.

Commenting on the appreciation of the principles of the Rukun Negara, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said the five tenets are very important, however, he feels the fifth principle on courtesy and morality needs to be emphasised in the community in order to become successful Malaysians.

"If you look at the five pillars (of the Rukun Negara), they are very important. For me though, I like the last on courtesy and morality, because if you want to succeed, you must have strong ethics, good manners, be humble, and then people will accept you…So for me, the fifth principle is very important and should be instilled in all communities out there,” he said.

As he shared his experience while at the International Space Station (ISS) in 2007 and the way he sees the spirit of patriotism and appreciation of the principles of Rukun Negara, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar also said that apart from flying the Jalur Gemilang, he also carried the country’s National Coat of Arms.

“I actually brought the Malaysian flag into space and it is such a memory. I felt so proud to wave it. I also brought the National Coat of Arms and pasted it at a corner in the ISS, so that is a memory I cannot forget, and it will always be in outer space," he added.

-- BERNAMA