KUALA LUMPUR: Walking down almost any street in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, the blue and white striped flag, with its yellow crescent moon are typical window dressings. “This is our flag. We are proud of this and it is a symbol of Malaysia and our success,” shopkeeper Nur told Bikyamasr.com when asked if he supported the Bersih demonstration movement's calls for a flag change. “It just seems they want to get attention and while I agree with a lot of their ideas, this one is just stupid,” he added. Many Malaysians have described the attempts to change the flag “shameful.” Even Bersih supporters told Bikyamasr.com that this effort is taking away from their goals of change and electoral freedom for a country that has seen one-party rule since its independence more than five decades ago. Some supporters of Bersih, who are championing for changes to the electoral system in the country, had displayed a flag they had created to replace the “Jalur Gemilang” – Malaysia's current flag – and distributed flyers to the people to support their cause. Their actions can be seen in a video posted on YouTube. But it has not gone over well, with most Malaysians laughing the stunt off as an attempt to regain their headlining ability after months of near silence. With elections to be held before April next year, the country is beginning to see a massive increase in politicking and while the flag stunt is unlikely to go over well with most Malaysians, it has pushed the Bersih demonstrators back into the spotlight, where they hope to continue their push for greater electoral freedom.
