No lack of love and respect for country, but long way to go to achieve unity: Social experts

PETALING JAYA: Patriotism is alive and kicking in the country but we are still on the long road to achieve national unity, social activists told theSun.

They were of the view that when the national anthem Negaraku is played, the public show their respect by standing to attention.

They were commenting on a video on social media that showed customers at an eatery standing up when the national anthem was played.

“We will always need one or two people to stand up first, and others will follow suit. No one ignored the national anthem,” said social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

“This reflects our patriotism and the respect we have for the national anthem,” he said, adding that the video may have just been a social experiment.

Asli Centre for Public Policy chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam concurred with Lee, adding that when one person stands up, it is automatic that others will also do so.

He said it shows that Malaysians have great respect for the Negaraku.

Lee added that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought out the good in all Malaysians.

“This was evident during the ‘white flag’ initiative, where people of all ethnicities and non-governmental organisation volunteers helped those who were in a desperate situation.”

Lee said whenever there was a humanitarian disaster, there was a strong sense of solidarity among individuals eager to help, adding that people have extended help to those in need without considering race or religion.

“We as Malaysians tend to come together to help each other to overcome the problems we face. What we need is for the people to carry this through even when there is no crisis.”

He said for the nation to take the next big step, the people must put in practice the five principles of the Rukun Negara.

“We are about to celebrate our 64th year of independence. We have come a long way but the journey to unity is still a long way off.”

Lee said no matter what is done, there will always be someone who will be divisive, adding that the people must counter such individuals and show how united Malaysians are.

Lee added that it is important for politicians to stop playing up the issue of race and religion, and instead talk about the idea of one nation.

Ramon said people standing up for the national anthem is not new, but the fact they did so at an eatery shows respect among the people.

He said patriotism cannot be equated with national unity as the two are very different.

“I could feel the nation coming together as one when Merdeka was declared. I was in Merdeka Stadium when Merdeka was declared, and the feeling was unbelievable.”