http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/ A23270-2001Aug31?language=printer

Fewer Malaysians Mount Flags on Cars

By Pauline Jasudason

Associated Press Writer
Friday, August 31, 2001; 5:51 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Riding a rickety bicycle cart about as old as he is, Lim Ah Piew, 52, toils in the afternoon sun to deliver his cargo of cooking-gas cylinders - while a mini Malaysian flag flutters on his handlebars.

"I was just eight years old then, but I can still remember Merdeka," says Lim, using the Malay expression for independence. "I want others to remember when they see this flag, feel the spirit like I did."

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wishes everyone felt like Lim, proud of reclaiming their own country in 1957 after some 150 years of British rule. In the 44 years since, Malaysia has become one of the most modern countries in Asia.

Malaysians were urged to mount flags like Lim's - free at gas stations, banks, and toll booths - on their cars ahead of Merdeka Day celebrations Friday. But few flew the banners, which some see as a sign that the government - headed by Mahathir for 20 years - is no longer as popular as it once was.

Watching traffic go by from various street corners, perhaps one in 10 cars were flying the emblem: red-and-white stripes with a golden crescent and star on a field of blue.

It wasn't always this way. When Malaysia's economic bubble burst in 1997 during the Asian financial crisis, the government issued a similar call. Small flags flew from seemingly every car in defiance against a national threat.

This year, the mini Jalur Gemilang, or "Stripes of Glory," as the banner is known, incited less interest.

For some Malaysians, the national symbol is too closely identified with Mahathir's government, which has lost popularity since he fired his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, in 1998 amid disputes over the Asian crisis.

Anwar's sacking and subsequent imprisonment triggered the biggest street demonstrations in decades, but despite big gains by the opposition, Mahathir's government kept a strong hold on power in elections in 1999.

The streets have since calmed. But after the annual independence parade Friday, a few scores of opposition activists gathered at Merdeka Square - where they were photographed by numerous plainclothes police - and sang the national anthem.

As they dispersed into a shopping area, some should "Reformasi!" - the rallying cry for democratic reform - and passing motorists honked in support. Police arrested at least three protesters.

"The flying of the flag is supposed to be a symbol of patriotism to the nation," said Hatta Ramli, a leading member of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.

"Instead, sad to say, people are telling me that flying the flag is seen as a symbol of supporting Mahathir," Hatta said. "People who cannot identify with the ruling government are choosing not to mount the flag."

Mahathir refers to the colonial era as a time of virtual slavery for Malaysians and urges the younger generations - increasingly inclined to support the opposition - to remember the sacrifice of their elders.

Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir is promoting the flag by saying that flying it shows that Malaysia won't be "easily influenced by outside forces."

Boosters this year stitched together national records including the biggest flag, the most flown at one time, and the most colored in by school children.

But Mike Selvamaithan, 25, scoffed at the idea that refusing to mount the flag made him less patriotic.

"That's ridiculous," Mike said. "Patriotism is more intrinsic. I don't think you're any more patriotic if you walk around with the Jalur Gemilang painted on your face."