It is that time of the year when the red, white, blue and yellow of the Jalur Gemilang are seen everywhere one goes.
You will see the flag flying on office buildings and homes, on vehicles small and big, and even pedestrian bridges and lampposts.
It is only right, of course, as it is that special time when we celebrate what was once known as Merdeka Day, but is now referred to as National Day in deference to our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak because they did not achieve independence on Aug 31, 1957.
And, after that, we will usher in Malaysia Day on Sept 16.
These two days bring the nation together, no matter our heritage or religion.
They signify the unity we have achieved, despite the occasional squabbles and attempts by some people who appear bent on keeping us apart.
There are no other occasions that do this. Or, at least, those that occur on fixed days.
Sporting occasions have that effect, too, but these are not on fixed dates and we seem to get excited only when there is the prospect of honours.
Indeed, the vast majority of us are united when it comes to these two days.
Perhaps National Day is not so much celebrated in Borneo, apart from the fact that it gives everyone a public holiday, but Malay-sia Day is, by all.
In a "multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multicultural and multilingual" country like Malaysia (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad may have forgotten he used these words in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2018), days like these are important.
Squabbles happen because of our differences, and even though even siblings disagree at times, these arguments occur way too often for comfort.
Each year, the government comes up with a theme of the national month, as well as a logo. It is meant for the nation to use. The theme and logo are symbols of the unity we are meant to have, especially on days like these.
This year, the government chose "Malaysia Madani: Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope" as the theme of the national month.
That, unfortunately, has come into contention from Perikatan Nasional, in particular the coalition's Youth wing.
PN Youth has taken umbrage at the words "Malaysia Madani" and "unity" as these are associated with the federal government.
As such, the wing has proposed that PN-controlled states use a different logo and theme, though this has since been rejected by Pas-led Terengganu and Kedah, which will stick with the federal government's theme.
There have been many reactions, most critical of PN. A lack of brotherhood and unity is the most oft-heard criticism.
In truth, this is not the first time. When PKR was in the opposition, in 2012, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had objected to the Barisan Nasional government's theme of "Janji Ditepati", a BN-linked phrase.
State governments, though, are independent of the federal government.
There is nothing stopping them, legally, from creating their own logos and themes for National Month celebrations.
The brouhaha is focusing merely on national unity. Will having different themes lead to disunited people?
The only thing that is somewhat certain, perhaps, is that it may cause confusion.
In all states, there will be federal government departments and agencies.
Will these departments and agencies have to highlight the federal theme and logo as well as the PN-created ones? Will people seeing this be confused?
Chances are, they will.
As for whether such a move would lead to disunity among the people, there can be no telling until after things occur.
What it does show is that there is no unity between the federal government and those in PN-ruled states.
Questions about patriotism also should not arise, as that can be shown in a variety of ways.
The issue, in fact, is just a matter of politics.
Above all, we should see the theme and logo as merely symbols.
Such symbols mean nothing if there is no unity among the peoples of Malaysia, or if unity is there only for show.
So, let the states led by PN do what they will. After all, it is a free country.
We, the people, must show our leaders that no matter the theme, no matter the logo, be they created by the federal government or the state governments, we are united.
* The writer is NST news editor
