By Voon Lee Shan President Parti Bumi Kenyalang Dated: 2 October 2019

For 56 years no one been charged for offences in connection with Negara Ku. If people begun to disrespect Negara Ku, then, this is an indication that Malaysia is heading to destruction. The sense of patriotism is missing because government policies of inequal treatment of race and religion had made Malaysia a failed nation.

People in Sabah and Sarawak begin not to belong themselves as part of Malaysia. Many Sabahans and Sarawakians, seem not proud of the national anthem, Negara Ku now because it's the Negara Ku originally of Malaya, not Malaysia.

In fact, Malaysia is Malaya and Malaya is Malaysia after Malaya changed its name to Malaysia from 16th September 1963. This was after Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak had been acquired as part of Malaya from Great Britain by Tunku Abdul Rahman.

To many Sabahans and Sarawakians who know the truth now, this is a great disappointment. The truth hurts them and it also should hurt the federal government because it comes with many political problems affecting the federation.

Further, the inequal treatment by the federal government of the people of Sabah and Sarawak in terms of distribution of wealth, job opportunities and developments, had made many Sabahans and Sarawakians resent the federal government. By failing to treat Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with equal status and opportunity in past decades had affected the dignity of many Sabahans and Sarawakians as citizens of Malaysia. They consider themselves as slaves of Malaya. Many are more readily to identify themselves, when in overseas, as Sabahans and Sarawakians rather than as Malaysians. They simply don't feel a sense of belonging and pride to Malaysia. To them, the inequality of treatment by the federal government is a show of disrespect to be Sabah and Sarawak. Respect has to be earned, not be forced upon. The government should therefore consider herself at fault too and should threat with care the matter of disrespect by this group of people. The authorities can charge them in court but this will not stop resentment against the federal government by many people of Sabah and Sarawak. Perhaps, more damage will come.

When people know the National Anthem lacks originality, people began to show more disrespect to the country and to the National Anthem . The song was said originally from a tune "La Rosalie" written by a French musician, Pierre-Jean de Beranger.

There is also a Chinese song with the same tune too.

The federal government is urged to arrest this issue urgently resentment by the people of Sabah and Sarawak urgently.

There is also a need for Malaysia to come up with a new National Anthem. There is nothing wrong to have a new one, especially, with a tune and lyrics that fits our own culture. The present one had some years ago been re-written with a quicker beat.