Empty words, distorted emblems when political spectacle mocks our national identity
16 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | ބުދަ 09:11Public criticism has been directed at the discrepancy between President Muizzu's discourse on the importance of honoring the national flag and the actual manner in which it is utilized during ruling party activities
From the inauguration ceremony of the People's National Congress (PNC) congress | PNC
The national flag of the Maldives stands as the ultimate emblem of independence, Islamic solidarity, and patriotic pride.
Honoring this emblem and safeguarding its stature is a shared civic obligation for all citizens, carrying even heavier weight for the nation's political organizations and high-ranking officials.
Poetry at the podium, neglect in practice
Current events reveal a glaring contradiction to these noble standards.
Citizens still vividly recall the sweeping declarations delivered during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s inauguration ceremony, where he addressed the banner with theatrical reverence.
He professed an endless devotion to the fluttering fabric, claiming to perceive the legacy of heroic martyrs who gave their lives defending the nation, the vibrant vitality of forebears who constructed the country, and the sacred majesty of Islam serving as salvation in both life and the hereafter.
However, after delivering such grand rhetoric directly to the emblem, real-world conduct has moved in the diametrically opposite direction.
Ignored rulebook of official protocol
The President’s Office maintains explicit standards for proper flag etiquette, but ruling party operations and political rallies treat these mandates as entirely irrelevant, handling the emblem with blatant carelessness.
Official frameworks dictate precise constitutional requirements for color palettes, physical proportions, and the curvature of the crescent moon.
Standards explicitly ban ragged or compromised fabrics, require designated lighting throughout nighttime hours, and govern display arrangements whenever other banners share the space.
Regardless of these clear statutes, political gatherings have previously resorted to irreverent spectacles, including scribbling political signatures across the fabric.
Pattern of missteps from social feeds to stagecraft
This pattern of carelessness showed up early in Muizzu’s tenure, when an official social media post displayed the central white crescent flipped the wrong way, pointing its tips in reverse and sparking intense public outrage.
Rather than prompting caution, this dismissive attitude resurfaced this past Tuesday at the PNC Congress, triggering a fresh wave of popular condemnation.
The decorative stage backdrop warped the flag into a crescent curve, stripping the emblem of its authentic structure.
Exploiting an altered version of a strictly defined constitutional symbol as routine decor for a high-profile party convention trivializes its dignity.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu speaking at the PNC Congress. | PNC
Selective absolution for the flag-waving elite
The sharpest irony centers on the fact that these violations occur inside the very political organization headed by Muizzu, the figure vocalizing the fiercest rhetoric concerning patriotic virtue and national deference.
Watching an altered national emblem relegated to wallpaper behind party orators proves bitter to absorb for ordinary Maldivians.
Still, a convenient double standard shields the PNC: defacing the emblem with signatures is swept aside, inverting the moon is excused, and warping the national symbol into party wallpaper is treated as perfectly fine.
Ultimately, the flag possesses an inherent value far beyond cheap campaign fodder, and authentic devotion requires genuine care in where and how it is showcased rather than hollow posturing from a podium.
