30/08/2025

SATURDAY | AUG 30, 2025

18 When pride feels like pressure A UGUST usually paints Malaysia in stripes and stars. Cars sprout mini Jalur Gemilangs like festive feelers, shopfronts glow with patriotic P O T T U O N P O I N T

bunting and offices quietly compete to see whose entrance looks the most Merdeka-ready. From highways to hawker stalls, the flag has always been everywhere. This year, though, it feels different. The colours are there but not quite as loud. Drive around and you will notice fewer cars with little flags fluttering on their windows. Even in housing areas, some gates and porches that once proudly carried the Jalur Gemilang now stand bare. It is as if the mood has mellowed, as if Malaysians are more hesitant about how – or even whether – to display their pride. Part of it is practical. Times are hard, and not everyone wants to spend on decorations when groceries cost more and school fees loom. But there is something deeper too. These days, flying the flag isn’t just a symbol of joy; it is a performance with rules – rules you may not even know until someone tells you that you have broken them. Too small, too frayed, wrong proportions, wrong side up. Suddenly, your little act of patriotism could land you in a viral post, a police report or a stern lecture from someone who has memorised the “correct” dimensions of the Jalur Gemilang . It is not that Malaysians don’t care. Most of us grew up with the flag. We saluted it every Monday morning, sweating in the school field while singing Negaraku . We coloured it in our exercise books, memorised what the crescent and stars stood for and stood tall when it was raised. The Jalur Gemilang has always been part of our lives. But now, it feels like the flag has turned into a test – a pop quiz you didn’t know you were sitting for until you failed. An act that should unite us has become one that could embarrass us. Imagine proudly tying a new flag to your gate, only to have your neighbour whisper, “Eh, you sure the blue part on top-ah?” You laugh it off but inside you are in panic mode. Should you take it down and double-check the guidelines, just in We have all heard this phrase countless times in business contexts, often accompanied by eye rolls from service staff who have dealt with demanding patrons. But what if we have been misunderstanding this principle all along? Some years ago, I had an epiphany that transformed how I view customer service. The word “right” in this context does not mean the opposite of wrong; it means something far more profound and actionable. In many contexts, “right” signifies justification, authority or alignment with truth. In spiritual traditions, it refers to a path aligned with virtue and wisdom – actions that promote well-being and understanding. When we say someone has “a right to feel their feelings”, we are acknowledging their justified emotional state. This reframe changes everything about customer service. Picture this scenario: I am hungry and have not eaten since morning. It is nearly 4pm, my blood sugar is low and my gastritis is acting up. I enter a relatively “quiet” restaurant and order roasted breast meat but am served a drumstick. When I politely inform the waiter that he got my order wrong, he looks confused. He glances at another waitress, who looks at two others – a visual game of passing the buck. It takes another 10 minutes before my correct order arrives.

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The Jalur Gemilang has always been part of our lives. But now, it feels like the flag has turned into a test. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/ THESUN

makes you smile instead of worry whether it passes inspection. Now, in the last week of Merdeka month, the Jalur Gemilang still waves across cities and kampungs . But look closely: some of those flags are fading, some are missing and some remain folded away. It is a reminder that love for the country cannot be forced into neat lines or measured in centimetres. At its best, the Jalur Gemilang is not about perfection; it is about us – messy, flawed but still standing together. If we forget that, we may win the battle for “proper flags” and lose the soul of Merdeka.

Nobody wakes up thinking, “I want to disrespect Malaysia today”. Yet, the climate now makes every imperfection look suspicious, and that is sad. Because the flag should remind us of our best selves. It should be part of those everyday Malaysian moments – strangers helping push a stalled car in the rain, neighbours bringing food during floods, a hawker slipping you extra sambal with a grin: “We’re all Malaysians-lah.” That is the spirit the Jalur Gemilang should carry – solidarity, generosity and belonging. Of course, we should treat the flag with care – replace torn ones, fly them properly and teach our children the right way. However, care should not be confused with fear. Patriotism doesn’t bloom under spot checks; it blooms when people feel proud without being told to be, when voices rise naturally for Negaraku , when the sight of the flag

case? That fear is spreading. Some people are quietly deciding not to bother at all. “Later, I hang it wrong, people will scold me,” a neighbour shrugged. “Better don’t hang.” Imagine that: it is Merdeka month and the flags stay folded in cupboards because Malaysians are scared of getting them “wrong”. This is the danger when love for a national symbol turns into compliance. We may still fly the Jalur Gemilang but not out of joy. Instead, it is out of relief: “At least no one can say I did it wrong.” That kind of patriotism doesn’t grow roots; it withers the moment enforcement relaxes. The truth is, most “mistakes” with the flag are not insults; they are accidents. The wind flips it, the sun bleaches it, someone hurriedly ties it before rushing to work.

Hashini Kavishtri Kannan is the assistant news editor at theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Redefining ‘customer is always right’ motto through empathy “THE customer is always right.”

No one offers an apology. In this moment, I have a right to feel upset and disappointed not because I am trying to be difficult but because my physical and emotional state – hungry, unwell, having given the correct order – justifies my reaction. When we say “the customer is always right”, we are not claiming that customers are factually correct about everything. We are acknowledging that their feelings, needs and expectations in that moment may be valid and deserve respect. A customer’s state of mind and body is “right” – meaning justified – based on their circumstances. If I am hungry and receive the wrong order, my disappointment is not unreasonable. Customers are not always unreasonable by choice. But when they don’t feel seen, heard or valued, the situation can quickly escalate. Their expectations are legitimate – they simply want their needs met with empathy and professionalism. Customers arrive with genuine needs and they expect openness, not excuses, when those needs are not immediately met. New approach to service Understanding customers as “right” in that deeper sense profoundly transforms how we approach service interactions. Instead of viewing difficult customers as problems, we should see them as people whose justified feelings deserve

intent. Recently, I visited a government clinic for the first time and was passed from person to person. At one point, a staff member gestured vaguely upward with her finger and mumbled something inaudible ending with “up”. My immediate thought was, “Oh no, I have to go upstairs?” When I expressed irritation, someone nearby clarified: “Look up at the screen.” Only then did I realise they were referring to the display screen above. This incident illustrates how unclear communication, even without bad intentions, can fail to honour the customer’s right to be properly informed and respected. The staff weren’t being deliberately unhelpful but their poor communication created unnecessary confusion. When we honour the customer’s “right” to their feelings and expectations, we create a space for genuine connection and resolution. This is not about giving in to unreasonable demands; it is about recognising the humanity in every service interaction. The customer may not always be factually right but their experience and emotional response is always valid. In that sense, they truly are always “right”. Nahlana T. Kreshnan is a somatic psychotherapist and life and executive coach. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

acknowledgment and resolution. For anyone providing a service, their internal state is crucial. When they are on duty, their job extends beyond just processing transactions; they need to tune into the customer’s energy and emotional state. If they are internally thinking “what a pain” or “oh such a fussy customer”while outwardly nodding and promising to look into the problem, a customer can detect their insincerity. This disconnect between their internal attitude and external behaviour creates what customers recognise as “fakeness”. When they sense this disingenuous response, they become more aggravated and intimidating, not because they are unreasonable, but because they feel dismissed and unheard beneath a veneer of false politeness. Genuine service standards This shift requires an internal and external alignment: 0 Immediate acknowledgement of the customer’s experience 0 Genuine apologies when things go wrong 0 Authentic empathy , not just performed concern 0 Focus on solutions rather than explanations 0 Internal respect for the customer’s state of mind and circumstances Poor communication can violate a customer’s “right” even without malicious

“When we honour the customer’s ‘right’ to their feelings and expectations, we create a space for genuine connection and resolution.