True patriotism

Since a few days ago, emails from overseas students in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada and the United States have been flowing into my account. Like me when I was living in Melbourne from 1982 to 1986, they are very concerned with what is happening in Malaysia, our home country or motherland.

While some of them feel shameful to be Malaysians because of what have happened to a segment of the police and, of course, the behaviour and utterances of Noh Omar, other feel proud because they think more and more fellow Malaysians have became increasingly First World-like as reflected in their vocal and public protests against police brutalities.

True citizenship certainly needs self-improvement in moral characters to be brave and upright in the participation in public affairs and discourses. It is not simply a piece of certificate.

I think the second category of our friends are right: we must be able to distinguish between the country and the government. The country is made of its land (rivers, hills, mountains and etc) and people, while the government is only formed by a group of people.

We can change the government we don't like while still being true patriots who love the land and our families, neighbours and friends on the land we, and our parents and grandparents, were born. In fact, politics of true patriotism is based, first and foremost, the love for the land we were born and the people, past and present, living on it.

We criticise and oppose the government of the day not because we hate it or this or that minister or police officer as such but because we love the land and its people more and we think they, by saying or doing all sorts of nonsensical things, do not love the country enough or at all.

If we say that because of the nonsensical behaviour and utterances of individuals like Noh Omar, we feel shameful to be Malaysians, we are effectively saying that Malaysia belongs only to Noh Omar or the party he represents.

Amidst moral outrage over what a segment of the police has done and what Noh Omar has said, we must also keep our heads cool and always make distinction between the country and the government of the day. So, while I think the feeling of the first category of friends is understandable given the prevailing mood, I would not encourage it.