Promoting patriotism and nationalism through songs

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KUALA LUMPUR: Most of the Malaysians are familiar with Roy’s rendition of ‘Malaysiaku Gemilang’ (My Glorious Malaysia), a song which boosts patriotism and instils a sense of nationalism among them.

The song, in Malay language, goes like…

“Berpadulah kita semua, Di dalam satu suara, Dengan degupan merdeka, Menjulang budaya bangsa, Untuk Malaysia tercinta”

The lyrics talk about fostering unity among the people, apart from loving and nurturing peace in the post-Merdeka years.

Roy, whose real name is Mohammed Rauzan Alwi, 47, is no stranger to patriotic songs. Among his other well-known renditions are ‘Wawasan 2020’, ‘Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan’, ‘1Malaysia’, and ‘Sejahtera Malaysia’ (Vision 2020, Unity The Core of Success, 1Malaysia and Prosperous Malaysia).

At a recent function on the occasion of ‘Fly the Jalur Gemilang’ campaign, Roy belted out 1Malaysia song before thousands of guests.

In connection with the nation’s 54th Independence Day on August 31, Roy recently visited Bernama here to share his experiences that go back to his initial days as a singer to the time he shifted to singing patriotic songs.

Roy’s late father, who loved jazz, was a positive influence on his singing career. But a young Roy was more inclined towards rock songs in those days and he also managed to earn some money from it in order to finance his further studies in the field of architecture.

Like other rock musicians, Roy’s singing career in the 1980s was not that rosy. Hardship was a routine affair for him.

“It was routine for me to walk from my home (in Taman Segar, Cheras) to the Kuala Lumpur city centre and the recording studio, which is in Sentul, in the hot and scorching sun.

“If I need to go outstation, I will sleep the night on the five-foot-way at Puduraya bus terminal, before catching the bus early next day as I was scared to miss the bus leaving the terminal for my destination,” he recalled.

In 1984 Roy signed up for the ‘Merdeka Rama’ singing competition, held by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

He was successful in creating an impact in this competition and from then, fortune began to smile on this young singer. Soon he was offered the ‘Sejahtera Malaysia’ song.

This song was aired at the beginning and end of the transmission on the national television daily. It was also aired during the interlude before the prime time news bulletin every night.

“In a day I was on television for five times and people began to notice me. Through this song, I became a singer of patriotic songs until this very day,” he said.

Roy added that since then his passion for patriotic songs has only become deeper, despite some singer friends trying to convince him to remain with rock music.

Roy feels that a singer should be versatile, while music is universal.

According to Roy, patriotic songs with their catchy tunes used to be a favorite among the young in those days, but now the interest appeared to be on the decline.

To him, this scenario is a challenge as patriotic songs belong to all Malaysians.

“Hence it is the responsibility of all to respect and appreciate these songs. The waning love for the national language, which is Bahasa Malaysia, is one of the reasons why the society lacks the interest in patriotic songs, as all of these songs are in the national language.

“The priority in our life should be Bahasa Malaysia as compared to the usage of the second language, English, to create a sense of belonging regardless of the ethnic origin or skin colour. This is the 1Malaysia identity,” he said.

Knowledge about the history is lacking among the younger generation of Malaysians, resulting in poor appreciation of the struggles put up by their forefathers to achieve the country’s independence.

This is one of the reasons why the younger generation sees the messages on patriotism as having nothing to do with them.

“I was once ridiculed by artiste friends for accepting offers to sing patriotic songs. To them these songs are not of the same standard as the commercial songs that they sing,” said Roy, looking back on his more than 20 years of singing career.

Roy’s idol is Jamaludin Alias, famous for his rendition of the patriotic song ‘Barisan Kita’ (Our Front).

Like Jamaludin, he always tries to adopt a positive attitude in his effort to glorify the patriotic songs.

Roy also shared his appreciation on the involvement of young singers in belting out patriotic songs, for example ‘Malaysia Satu’ by Faizal Tahir, which is a favourite among the youngsters.

He believes that it is essential to convey the message on the importance of patriotism to the society, and therefore, such efforts to come out with patriotic songs are most welcome.

“Now many may not be so interested in march-beat songs, hence songs in other genres like rock, rhythm and blues, rap and others can be turned into a platform to put forward the patriotic messages in line with the taste of the younger genration,” he said.

Roy, however, believes that songs with the march beat should still be made as their rhythm can fire the nationalistic spirit in Malaysians and they can also act as the base for patriotism-themed songs.

“It’s time for the Arts and Culture Department (JKKN) to unite all artiste bodies and private entities to produce these genre of songs as part of it’s contribution to the society and nation,” Roy observed.

The artistes are icons of the society and their behaviour is copied by the society, hence it will be beneficial if they contribute songs in the national interest.

He also hoped that this culture will spread among the people of Malaysia.

“As somebody acknowledged by the society, a singer should not deny his duty to the nation. Do not come to a point where one’s own patriotic song sounds so foreign,” he remarked.

Roy further said that students should be exposed to patriotic songs through the creation of choirs in schools nationwide to inculcate a love for such songs.

Despite his tight schedule, Roy still finds time for training the choirs at several government departments, local universities and boarding schools.

Among the institutions utilising his services are the Survey and Mappping Department (JUPEM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) in Trolak, Perak.

“Observing the developments in today’s local music industry, the hope for patriotism and nationalism-genre songs to make a comeback among the society is bright, as many from the younger generation are working on songs like these,” he said.

He noted that in earlier times, patriotic songs were composed by those who had experienced the struggle for independence; while the newer ones were composed to reflect on the benefits of independence.

“As long as the message can be conveyed to the society, it should be emulated by all,” he remarked at the end of the interview. — Bernama