Malaysiakini is no stranger to the 'traitor' tag. Ask outgoing Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad - two years ago, he accused malaysiakini journalists of being disloyal and unpatriotic.

"These people act like traitors," he said, "and people who love Malaysia cannot count on them."

For Mahathir, patriotism is equated with the support for the government. No distinction is made between one's love for the country and one's love for the ruling party - they are one and the same. If you criticise the government, then in Mahathir's book, you don't qualify as a patriot.

Which is why, government ministers are bemoaning the lack of flag-flying in this Merdeka month of August. Indeed, when 45 percent had voted for the opposition in the last general elections, it is not surprising that so few are willing to fly the Jalur Gemilang.

Perhaps it is time we redefined patriotism and reclaim its true meaning.

According to author and environmentalist Edward Abbey, "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."

Tip of the graft iceberg

In Malaysia, such patriots have a lot of defending to do against our government. Take for example, the war against corruption.

Much has been said about the need to fight graft. When Mahathir came into power more than two decades ago, one of his rallying cries was a 'clean' Malaysia. Today, the country is more corrupt than ever. We have indeed paid dearly for such iniquities.

When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi takes the rein of power come Nov 1, he too is expected to declare war on corruption. Indeed, he has already done so in a speech early this month, which disingenuously targeted the civil servants.

Abdullah knows well that the source of the problem is not so much our civil servants but ruling politicians, especially those in his own party.

Many Umno members have been known to ruthlessly exploited the opportunities of patronage and commercial enrichment that the party made available to them.

It is an open secret that Umno officials would bribe their way to elected office. When voted into power, they indulge in corruption to gain access to lucrative business contracts and other deals as a payoff to their initial 'investments'.

For example, our investigations into the logging scam by Umno Pahang shows party members siphoning money from the state as if it is their birthright.

We have information of millions of ringgit changing hands, in cash, which unfortunately we cannot publish - partly because this was told to us in confidence and that the informers are themselves big-time bribe givers.

This is just the tip of the graft iceberg. Surely, such multi-million ringgit corruption is not restricted to the state of Pahang.

Code of silence

Like the Mafia, silence is golden to Malaysian politicians. The omerta - the Mafia's code of silence - is strictly upheld by those in our political and business circles. The reason is simple - if one does not talk about one's illegal deeds, no one will ever know.

Only when there is internal bickering that such crimes of silence rise to the surface from its murky pits. Now that Umno polls are around the corner, expect more airing of the party's dirty laundry.

However, even when such scandals are made public, whether the guilty parties are punished depends on, yes, the Godfather himself.

Often those who are under the Godfather's protection get away scot-free, such as the likes of politicians Rafidah Aziz and Rahim Thamby Chik, and business tycoon Eric Chia of the Perwaja fame.

As patriots, Malaysians must be ready to defend our country against those who plunder the nation's resources and rob us of our rights.

We must also be ready to make the necessary sacrifices. After all, these usurpers will not give in without a fight and they are willing to hit hard and dirty. As French philosopher Voltaire said, "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."

True, malaysiakini cannot claim to be right all the time. But Mahathir is wrong on this score - we are as much a patriot as any Malaysian. Indeed, people who love Malaysia can count on us to put our country before the government.