Low brow ethnic pseudo-warrior Muhyiddin Yassin has condemned a DAP Selangor ADUN, M Manoharan, for showing disrespect to (what Muhyiddin termed) as ‘national heritage’ when the ADUN called for a redesign of the Malaysian flag.
National heritage?
Really, any commonsense understanding would tell us that a national flag, while a symbol of national identity, pride and belonging, is not exempt from changes, as shown by a number of countries.
For example, Canada has made one of the most improved changes to national flags to enhance its Canadian identity – see below and understand how the maple leaf design stands out remarkably and uniquely as Canadian, making the Canadian flag renowned as one of the best flag designs – a design which came about through deliberate change.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9D0yc80jiuZEACp_RgGVgPk0ca8ca_6lrcL9Z0heSpQ_CfetnEw0QcrCdlh9KEvn6AIZG7rfDerkjU_XMUvI1r2v6WsAqj3bKNL3awbKnMmxp_d1bKKHfdkzvg1A0mlV9xrZpv8ChDU2/s400/canadian+flags.jpg)
And like Canada, it’s only a matter of time that Australia and New Zealand will change theirs as well.
Spain on the other hand has switched from and back to its original royal flag, abandoning its Republican motif.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqFfIfeGEjHaNpoLTsVrgCrV9B-vr4FKWCuCNMGwGn2TAPWxuCIVwgzT7_6SPlCQsCRNcVCNLCVrKTWLd2coiCEAEbml9ZVGxCK9PG8ZpS0492qA2vc6GkoUPe-_FIWD8sucA7z_bKU8e/s400/spanish+flags.jpg)
Estonia is now preparing to change its flag, which I suspect is a political move to be more identified (politically, economically, socially??) with its neighbouring Scandinavian countries.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholspMZkAe_ZTIHsb2WHjT5bIDNTNY907afkbKd7DUp-IAlj9cacGmFU4-1-rYSlhjEuiSgAmyenlpBVeWgrDP-BOlaDprXMMvnK0gkTIXnYb8APr3p54NJoMj0JCH81du8DX5qKtz2oHM/s400/estonian+flags.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVYnxvaumVLuYaMP_YEsCqjYKiQv7doDL1eRo_T-43-PX4aan1FwqB4ESCdJ2LcLukggY9GCRZCqK6RetIM7PcAaxL9o53ci-GqKMK4ydnMS_jLMOYs0S8tiv4WNNbfb5Ay1jr6bnq2Yv/s400/flags-scandinavian-countries.jpg)
Incidentally, the Jalur Gemilang (leaving out its several minor modifications following the merger of Malaya with Sarawak, Sabah and Singaore, and the subsequent expulsion of Singapore) was – NOW GET THIS – approved by King George IV on 19 May 1950.
And you can bet George VI certainly wasn't the Sultan of Bolehland.
For those who still don’t believe Malaya was a British colony (de facto or otherwise), eat that fact.
The Malayan/Malaysian flag was designed by Mohamad Hamzah who was said to have borrowed and then modified the design from the flag of the British East India Company, a rapacious trading organization.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWigtb0vNhl7IwTAk62ZKYZGBd6qdGB57WiUk5MrKvEuNtR4HkR0s2Of7JjkE4xZ4szoiUQS4kAaLTG7ZMfzW7SxN65Et9MoVSnJfSQl1-c7QAKBDeIr0UQdClhBhPmU2C100LNflJVVm/s400/EIC+flag.png)
Even the name Jalur Gemilang came only into being in 1997 when then-PM Dr Mahathir picked it from a list of proposed names for the flag. Wasn't that naming a change in itself?
Manoharan has been absolutely correct in calling for the redesign of our national flag. Let’s follow the Canadian example, but most of all let’s get rid of any association with the British colonial empire, King George VI and the terrible British East India Company.
As for the low brow ethnic pseudo-warrior, who accused Manoharan’s proposal as likely to lead to changes to the Constitution, let me remind that beetle the Constitution has been changed a couple of hundred times already, by his UMNO.
National heritage?
Really, any commonsense understanding would tell us that a national flag, while a symbol of national identity, pride and belonging, is not exempt from changes, as shown by a number of countries.
For example, Canada has made one of the most improved changes to national flags to enhance its Canadian identity – see below and understand how the maple leaf design stands out remarkably and uniquely as Canadian, making the Canadian flag renowned as one of the best flag designs – a design which came about through deliberate change.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9D0yc80jiuZEACp_RgGVgPk0ca8ca_6lrcL9Z0heSpQ_CfetnEw0QcrCdlh9KEvn6AIZG7rfDerkjU_XMUvI1r2v6WsAqj3bKNL3awbKnMmxp_d1bKKHfdkzvg1A0mlV9xrZpv8ChDU2/s400/canadian+flags.jpg)
And like Canada, it’s only a matter of time that Australia and New Zealand will change theirs as well.
Spain on the other hand has switched from and back to its original royal flag, abandoning its Republican motif.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqFfIfeGEjHaNpoLTsVrgCrV9B-vr4FKWCuCNMGwGn2TAPWxuCIVwgzT7_6SPlCQsCRNcVCNLCVrKTWLd2coiCEAEbml9ZVGxCK9PG8ZpS0492qA2vc6GkoUPe-_FIWD8sucA7z_bKU8e/s400/spanish+flags.jpg)
Estonia is now preparing to change its flag, which I suspect is a political move to be more identified (politically, economically, socially??) with its neighbouring Scandinavian countries.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholspMZkAe_ZTIHsb2WHjT5bIDNTNY907afkbKd7DUp-IAlj9cacGmFU4-1-rYSlhjEuiSgAmyenlpBVeWgrDP-BOlaDprXMMvnK0gkTIXnYb8APr3p54NJoMj0JCH81du8DX5qKtz2oHM/s400/estonian+flags.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVYnxvaumVLuYaMP_YEsCqjYKiQv7doDL1eRo_T-43-PX4aan1FwqB4ESCdJ2LcLukggY9GCRZCqK6RetIM7PcAaxL9o53ci-GqKMK4ydnMS_jLMOYs0S8tiv4WNNbfb5Ay1jr6bnq2Yv/s400/flags-scandinavian-countries.jpg)
Incidentally, the Jalur Gemilang (leaving out its several minor modifications following the merger of Malaya with Sarawak, Sabah and Singaore, and the subsequent expulsion of Singapore) was – NOW GET THIS – approved by King George IV on 19 May 1950.
And you can bet George VI certainly wasn't the Sultan of Bolehland.
For those who still don’t believe Malaya was a British colony (de facto or otherwise), eat that fact.
The Malayan/Malaysian flag was designed by Mohamad Hamzah who was said to have borrowed and then modified the design from the flag of the British East India Company, a rapacious trading organization.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWigtb0vNhl7IwTAk62ZKYZGBd6qdGB57WiUk5MrKvEuNtR4HkR0s2Of7JjkE4xZ4szoiUQS4kAaLTG7ZMfzW7SxN65Et9MoVSnJfSQl1-c7QAKBDeIr0UQdClhBhPmU2C100LNflJVVm/s400/EIC+flag.png)
Even the name Jalur Gemilang came only into being in 1997 when then-PM Dr Mahathir picked it from a list of proposed names for the flag. Wasn't that naming a change in itself?
Manoharan has been absolutely correct in calling for the redesign of our national flag. Let’s follow the Canadian example, but most of all let’s get rid of any association with the British colonial empire, King George VI and the terrible British East India Company.
As for the low brow ethnic pseudo-warrior, who accused Manoharan’s proposal as likely to lead to changes to the Constitution, let me remind that beetle the Constitution has been changed a couple of hundred times already, by his UMNO.
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