LETTERS: The gesture of putting up a white flag is universally understood as a sign of defeat and loss. It also means that you are suggesting a truce or ceasefire (during a battle) and putting up a white flag would protect you from any more harm as it was supposed to signal to the other side to stop their attack.
It is not clear exactly when white flags were used as a sign of truce, but it was generally agreed that they were first introduced in battles as early as the middle ages in Western Europe.
Fast forward to 2021. With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysians are fighting a battle unlike any other. Families lost their loved ones rather abruptly, not being able to say their last goodbyes.
Business owners are faced with their own economic turmoil, having to close down their premises and letting go of their staff. Unemployment rates have spiked even higher than the daily Covid-19 cases.
People are losing their means of income and do not know how they can recover financially. Heads of families struggle to keep food on the table daily. Parents are struggling to juggle their work as well as keeping their home life stable.
With this ongoing "war" on the pandemic, some who could not overcome their personal crises have faltered. Recently, there were rising cases of suicides or attempted suicides.
The alarming rate of suicide cases in Malaysia prompted its citizens to come up with a campaign called #KempenBenderaPutih (white flag campaign). The aim is to help those in need of aid without having to ask verbally.
The move has been massively shared on various social media platforms recently and garnered much national attention. If anyone is in desperate need of help, all they need to do is raise a white flag or any white coloured fabric at their home.
This campaign is seen as an initiative to assist struggling Malaysians, not limited to financial struggle, but emotional struggles as well. The campaign aims to encourage those who are too embarrassed, reluctant or afraid to seek help, to get the help they desperately need by communicating non-verbally.
It is known that the government has provided several initiatives to help struggling citizens, for example, the food basket programme. Other measures have been announced as well, such as controlling the prices of petrol, providing electricity bill discounts and free Internet data.
However, as caring citizens, we can do our part as well to those affected through the white flag campaign. Even a simple gesture of hello or showing attention to people in need will make a huge difference.
In raising the white flag, we Malaysians have created our own lifeline. Such a simple gesture will hopefully create an impact in making sure no one faces their ordeals alone.
Therefore, should you spot a white flag raised outside someone's home, do not turn a blind eye. In this instance, white flags are seen as a sign of hope, promise and life.
HANI SURAYA AZIZ
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times