What it means to be patriotic?

TMNet Streamyx memang macam biskut 'Choc Fudge' buatan LU (sekarang Danone). Sekejap ada, sekejap tiada. Memang biskut. Heh, external harddisk pun buat songeh juga. Haiya...

Oh ya, dapat email ini dari Yahoogroup PPIMI, Hafyz yang postkan. Baca ya?

Opinion
Wednesday August 15, 2007

What it means to be patriotic

I REFER to ‘Ong: Don’t question patriotism’ (The Star,
Aug 13). We must understand patriotism, before we can
question it.

As we near the 50th anniversary of independence, the
word patriotism is being bandied about flippantly. It
is regularly highlighted in the mass media and in
political speeches as one of the main ingredients of a
united Malaysia.

Patriotism originates from the Greek word, patrida
meaning fatherland and equates with love and loyalty
to one’s country. The antonym of patriotism is
treachery.

There is a distinct difference between country and
government. Confusion arises when loyalty to country
is mistakenly equated with loyalty to the government.

Thus any dissent or criticism of the workings of the
government is mistakenly interpreted as lack of
patriotism.

Love of the country is not the same as love for the
government. Governments come and go but the country
remains.

The oath of allegiance is a duty a citizen
acknowledges to the country and sovereign only. This
is ingrained in our Rukunegara, Kesetiaan Kepada Raja
dan Negara i.e. Loyalty to King and Country.

Former USA President Theodore Roosevelt once said,
“Patriotism means to stand by the country and not by
the President or any other public official. It is
patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently
serves the country.

It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the extent that
by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to
stand by the country.”

As patriotism is nebulous in definition and comes in
many guises, what kind of patriotism are we seeking to
instil in Malaysians?

Blind patriotism calls for unconditional loyalty, is
rigid and inflexible, intolerant of criticisms and
adherents, and will support the country at whatever
cost.

Symbolic patriotism relies heavily on ceremonial
content, mass rallies, singing of patriotic songs and
flying of flags and other ways of proclaiming
allegiance to the nation.

Constructive patriotism believes that the best way to
love one’s country is with constructive criticism,
enhanced transparency and good governance.

The motive for this is a sincere desire for positive
change. To stand up and speak your mind is not a
challenge to patriotism but the heart and soul of it.
Often, these forms of patriotism overlap.

No matter how hard we try, there is no ‘Patriotism
Index’ to gauge a citizen’s loyalty to his country.
Patriotism is in the individual’s heart and is an
ongoing process.

It starts at home, continues in the institutions of
education and religion, the work place, daily living
and ultimately to our graves.

DR F.S. MALHI,

Ipoh, Perak.

Heh, itulah dia patriotisme. Sekarang, yang dikempenkan, taat kepada negara bererti taat kepada parti... dan jadilah sifir, parti = kerajaan, sampai habis pening marhaen nak bezakan yang mana satu... maka jadilah wargaparti eh silap, warganegara...

Atau dalam riwayat yang lain - "Anda tidak patriotik jika anda tidak sokong/undi BN."

postscriptum: Some ministers/decision makers come and go, but civil servants are here to stay...

...

Alhamdulillah tamat sudah elektif. Bak kata PokNik, "Habis kidney lah kau..." - intonasi berlainan boleh membawa maksud lain ya?