As a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officer, Osman has been tasked with taking care of the national flag for the last 20 years, a remarkable coincidence as he was a flag bearer at school during assemblies since he was 10.

For him, the standout moment is the countdown to Merdeka Day. When the clock strikes midnight, he and his team would raise the Jalur Gemilang and sing the Negaraku together with the thousands gathered at Dataran Merdeka.

With the flagpole standing tall on a deck 40 metres high, and the sea of 50,000 faces looking up at the Jalur Gemilang, it’s a sight that has always moved Osman.

Sadly, he has to bid farewell to his favourite Jalur Gemilang this year as he turns 60 and retires from government service.

Osman said among his duties was to ensure that the giant flag, which was made of twinkle satin to give it a shiny appearance, was in tip-top condition come Merdeka Day.

Such was his passion that Osman moved his office so that he could gaze with pride at the Jalur Gemilang every day.

“My office is (now) facing the main flag. When I look up (from my computer), I see my flag. Out of eight hours at the office, I think I watch the flag for 7 hours.”

Osman explained that the flag would be changed periodically to ensure that it was always in pristine condition.

He said DBKL had yet to appoint an officer to take over from him upon his retirement.

“There are a few younger officers who always follow me and hopefully they can replace me. (I believe in them) because they have shown me their commitment,” he said.

Osman said he was happy that he could do his bit for the country, noting that even his children would mention him to their friends due to his unique responsibility.

“To me as a Malaysian, no matter who you are, Chinese, Indian, Sikh, Kadazan-Dusun, Iban, we share the same flag, we should be proud of our flag.”