SUNGAI PETANI, Aug 16 (Berna-ma) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said flying the Jalur Gemilang wholeheartedly in a meaningful manner showed a patriotic spirit and marked the na-tion’s sovereignty and independ-ence.

Furthermore, this year’s Inde-pendence Day theme of “Malay-siaku Berdaulat Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku” (My Sovereign Malaysia: My Native Land) had a very deep meaning, he said at the launch of the 2013 National Level Fly the Jalur Gemilang programme at Da-taran Zero in Sungai Petani, Friday night.

“So don’t just fly the flag for the

sake of it. We must know the meaning in-depth and translate the same to actions and behaviour which prove our loyalty to the na-tion,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the Jalur Gemilang was raised in 1950 and has been flying for 63 years wit-nessing Malaysia’s progress from a poor, unknown, and tiny nation to the threshold of a developed na-tion.

“If everyone of us as citizens are willing to defend the independence and sovereignty of Malaysia, we will surely achieve the developed status,” he said.

Najib called on Malaysians to fly the Jalur Gemilang with pride as

it represented their identity and reflected their gratitude for the prevailing peace, prosperity and strength of the country.

Also present at the function were the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Communica-tion and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and state executive councilors.

More than 50,000 people crowded Dataran Zero to witness the na-tional level launch of Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign which was held for the first time in Kedah. -- BERNAMA

Fly The Jalur Gemilang Whole-heartedly, Says Najib

TGV Cinemas Prepared To Play The Negaraku Before Screenings

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd (TGV) is prepared to play the Negaraku be-fore movie screenings at its nationwide chain of cinemas if such a proposal is implemented.

“We’re honoured to play a role in helping to strengthen the spirit of patriotism among our coun-try’s multi-racial community,” TGV chief executive officer Gerald V. Dibbayawan told Bernama when contacted on Saturday.

On Friday, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek proposed that the national anthem be played in all cinemas two to three days prior to Aug 31 and possibly continued until Malaysia Day on Sept 16.

Meanwhile, KRU Studios executive president, Nor-man Abdul Halim said the practice could further en-hance patriotism among the people, especially the younger generations.

He said images of the Jalur Gemilang or patriotic videos could also be screened as a backdrop while the national anthem was played.

“While I was in Thailand, they played their national anthem in the cinemas and I stood up to show my respect for the country. We should be proud to do the same here,” he said.

--BERNAMA

Communications And Multimedia Ministry To Intensify fly Jalur

Gemilang Campaign

SEREMBAN, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Communications and Mul-timedia Ministry will intensify the “Fly the Jalur Gemilang” campaign nationwide in conjunction with Malaysia’s 56th Independence Day celebration.

Its secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Siaraf said in this re-gard, the ministry would issue a reminder on the campaign to fly the national flag to the relevant parties.

“As usual, Radio Televisyen Malay-sia (RTM) will play its role in pro-moting the ‘Fly the Jalur Gelimang’ campaign,” he said when met by Bernama at his Aidilfitri open

house at his residence in Sri Car-cosa, Seremban 2, here, Sunday.

He was asked to comment on the lukewarm response to efforts to get the public to fly the national flag in conjunction with the up-coming Merdeka Day celebration.

Kamaruddin, however, noted that at the official launching of the campaign at Dataran Zero in Sun-gai Petani, Kedah, on Friday, more than 50,000 people thronged the venue and it was an unexpected number.

“This is a good sign for the cam-paign this year. Nevertheless, we need a more aggressive participa-

tion in the campaign, particularly from the Information Department, and other departments and agen-cies under the ministry.

“InsyaAllah (God willing), we will draw up an immediate plan to boost the ‘Fly the Jalur Gemilang’ campaign at the national, state and district levels.

“What we hope is for the state governments and local authorities to promote the campaign and fly the Jalur Gemilang at their build-ings, as well as to get the private sector to do the same,” he said.

-- BERNAMA