I took a piece of paper

It was white…..

White – reflecting the purity

Deep within our hearts,

The heart of each and every Malaysian

 

In one corner, I drew a rectangle

And then, I coloured it blue

‘Cause blue symbolises dignity

And it was with dignity that Malaysia broke away

From the clutches of colonialism

 

Next, in the rectangle, I included a new moon

A crescent representing the National religion, Islam

And also to signify light and hope

Light for all Malaysians, whatever colour or creed

Hope that peace and harmony may forever prevail.

 

Beside the crescent is a star

A star with fourteen points

Representing the different states, their people

Converging in the middle

Reflecting the bond, the unity in our nation

 

The crescent and the star are coloured yellow

Yellow – the colour of royalty

Pledging my unfailing loyalty to King and country

The symbol of the sovereignty

of this my homeland, the land that I live in and love

 

Finally, I added the horizontal stripes

Again, fourteen – for the fourteen states

I painted seven of them red

And left the other seven white

Different, divergent but united we stand,

side by side.

 

Red is the colour of love

The love I have for my country

The love I have for my fellowmen

Together let us stand hand in hand

United and strong, as one people, one nation,

one Malaysia.

 

lee min ho, tszr, ldw