LETTER | Patriotism beyond flying flag, reciting Rukun Negara

LETTER | I recently attended a staff assembly at my workplace. All of us recited the national principles and also pledged our loyalty to king and country.

It invoked a sense of great patriotism within me knowing Malaysia is home and always will be home. However, patriotism goes far beyond flying the Jalur Gemilang or reciting the Rukun Negara.

It is more than that. Patriotism also comes in the form of delivering our best performance at the workplace. We need to take pride in our work and with that, naturally, excellence will follow.

When a job, project, or file is assigned to you, it only means one thing. You have been entrusted to execute and close the file to the best of your ability.

Do not deliver a lacklustre or half-hearted performance. At the very least, approach it with integrity, honesty, and above all a pure heart.

Think of the bigger picture. You do not need to be a policymaker or politician to make that change. You and I can serve and contribute to the rakyat in our own humble ways.

In the same breath, I would like to call on all Malaysians to do their part to prevent and eradicate corruption. As I type this piece, I am looking at a poster which reads ‘Rasuah Membawa Kepada Kemusnahan Negara’ or ‘Corruption Leads to the Destruction of a Nation’. I cannot agree more with this statement.

One would be naïve to say that corruption does not exist in our society. It is a plague and will rear its ugly head given a chance. It must never be normalised or made a way of life. It is up to you and me to stop this plague. It is not a losing battle, it is possible.

We recently celebrated our 66th National Day. The display of patriotism from all walks of life speaks volumes about our love for the country

We are all children of Malaysia. We all have a shared responsibility towards each other. Let us all work toward the common objective of peace and harmony not only for ourselves but our children.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.