Do you all remember, the song ‘Negaraku’ is one of the songs that we often sing during assemblies at school, right? But, have you ever thought, how can the song ‘Negaraku’ be chosen as the national anthem of Malaysia?
The story actually began back in 1957. According to a TikTok video by Fatin AR, during that time, all states in Malaysia have their own song of greatness. Despite all that, there was no national anthem to unite all the states in Malaysia. The idea of creating a national anthem came when our country was in the preparation of the independence day.
In regards to that, in February 1957, a contest to create a national anthem was held. There were about 514 songs received from around the world and 4 songs were enlisted. However, all songs were rejected by the National Anthem Selection Special Committee (JKPLK) which is lead by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, as they were not suitable.
Soon after, the committee invited a famous song composer to compose the national anthem. However, that composition too was rejected. In the end, Tunku Abdul Rahman recommended the rhythm of Perak’s anthem which is ‘Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan’, as a foundation for the national anthem after hearing the songs of other states.
After the agreement, the government offered RM1000 to the composer and this award was won by Allahyarham Encik Saiful Bahari, who created three versions of the national anthem titled ‘Negaraku’. The national anthem was heard over and over again after 12 midnight on the verge of the independence day, 31st of August 1957 at Padang Kelab Selangor.
On the night of history, the Union Jack flag was brought down and was replaced with the Federation of Malaya flag accompanied by the national anthem, Negaraku.
So that’s how our national anthem came to be.
@fatinttBerdasarkan bacaan saya. #jombelajar #learnontiktok #tiktokguru♬ Almost Idyllic – Sleeping At Last
Sources: TikTok Fatin AR