The Malaysian Flag- Part 2 The People's Views

The Masthead of Utusan Melayu dated 3 Sept 1949 (below), and the masthead of The Malay Mail dated 15 Nov. 1949 (underneath it). Utusan Melayu was published in Singapore before moving to Kuala Lumpur. The Mail Mail was an English daily published in Kuala Lumpur. It changed to an afternoon paper after it was bought over by The Straits Times. The following views and comments by the people of then Malaya were qouted from these two newspapers.

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The MALAYSIAN FLAG Part 2: The People's View

In 1949, newspapers and radio were the only mode of mass communication in Malaya. There were no Internet, no mobile phones and no television. More people could have participated in the choice of the flag of Malaya. But, based on the three available designs, most likely and the obvious choice would still be design listed as number 3.

In The Malay Mail poll, the newspaper revealed that some 45% chose the third design, about 5% chose the first design and onlyone chose design number 2. No actual number was given. However, the newspaper itself indicated that the participation was low. There was no similar poll taken by the Utusan Melayu. The Malay Mail in an editorial suggested that opinion of rural people should also be taken into consideration and this could be done by the information department. Whether such action was taken could not be ascertained.

Different people have different ideas about what the national flag should be, ranging from emotional feeling to what colours should be used.

"Sir, none of the three proposed designs for the national flag of the Federation showed any nantionalism in them," says a letter in theUtusan Melayu on 6 December, 1949. Only in the third design was yellow colour used in the crescent and star, yellow being the famous royal colour . Is this colour steeped in Malay customs to be left out?

"Moreover, in my view there was nothing in all the thee designs to show a close relantionship between the royal and the people based on Malayan nationalism originated from the Malay. This is because of absence from the flag "red and white" the flag of original Malay nationalism since Hang Tuah's period. " the letter added.

Therefore, since Malaya is on the way to independence, may I suggest that the Federation flag should be based on "red and white" and a quarter of the red should be in blue and the crossed krisses in yellow and encirled by eleven stars in white," says Hasnad.

In The Malay Mail, a reader named D.M.F. lamented that "Britain has no place in the Federation flags which were submitted to the Legislative Council..." (MM, 21 November, 1949).
The reader suggested that Malaya follow the footsteps of South Africa, Canada and Australia "who all have small reproductions of the Union Jack in the left-handhand corner in their national flags. The reader also suggested that the crossed krisses in the first choice should make the design eminently suitable.

The Malay Mail wrote an editorial on the flag issue.