Malaysia Forever

Last updated

Malaysia Forever is a folk song written by Bobby Gimby in the early 1960s. The title of the song is a rough translation of the Malay phrase, "Hidup Malaysia" (literally, Long Live Malaysia). It was written to celebrate the formation of Malaysian federation in 1963. Tunku Abdul Rahman, the then Prime Minister of the Federation called the song Malaysia Forever as the unofficial national anthem of Malaysia. The song was recorded in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Contents

Overview

Malaysia Forever is a folk song with a length of 2 minutes sung by the Choir of the Marymount Vocational School in Singapore. On the days before the merger, it was taught to school children prior to merger and became an instant hit when it was broadcast over the air-waves of all parts of Malaysia. The song was broadcast on nationwide radio every National Day until Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia on 9 August 1965 due to political and economical disputes, in which the song quickly lost its popularity among both sides. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Flag of Malaysia National flag

The flag of Malaysia, also known as Malay: Jalur Gemilang, is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan. The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers.

1998 Commonwealth Games

The 1998 Commonwealth Games(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16), was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedented facts in the history of the event. The 1998 games were the first held in an Asian country and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th century. This was also the first time the games took place in a nation with a head of state other than the Head of the Commonwealth, and the first time the games were held in a country whose majority of the population did not have English as the first language. For the first time ever, the games included team sports. The other bid from the 1998 games came from Adelaide in Australia. Malaysia was the eighth nation to host the Commonwealth Games after Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Wales, Jamaica and Scotland. Around 3638 athletes from 69 Commonwealth member nations participated at the games which featured 214 events in 15 sports with 34 of them collected medals.

Singapore has a diverse music culture that ranges from rock and pop to folk and classical. Its various communities have their own distinct musical traditions: the Chinese form the largest ethnic group in Singapore, with Malays, Indians as well as a smaller number of other peoples of different ethnicities including Eurasians. The different people with their traditional forms of music, the various modern musical styles, and the fusion of different forms account for the musical diversity in the country.

Barisan Sosialis

Barisan Sosialis is a defunct political party in Singapore. It was formed on 29 July 1961 and officially registered on 13 August 1961 by left-wing members of the People's Action Party (PAP) who had been expelled from the PAP. The prominent founding members of the Barisan were Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong. It became the biggest opposition party in Singapore in the 1960s and the 1980s. The main objectives of the Barisan included eradicating colonialism, establishing a united independent and democratic Malayan nation comprising the Federation of Malaya and Singapore and introducing an economic system to promote prosperity and stability in society. The party was merged into the Workers' Party of Singapore in 1988.

Independence Day (Malaysia) national holiday in Malaysia, observed annually on 31 August

Independence Day, is the official independence day of Federation of Malaya. It commemorates the Malayan Declaration of Independence of 31 August 1957, and is defined in Article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies and observances.

1962 Singaporean integration referendum Referendum on the terms of integration of Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia

A referendum on the terms of integration into the Federation of Malaysia was held in Singapore on 1 September 1962.

Bobby Gimby Canadian musician

Bobby Gimby, was a Canadian orchestra leader, trumpeter, and singer-songwriter.

Malaysian nationality law


Malaysian nationality law is the law of Malaysia that deals with citizenship and other forms of nationality. This law is established in Articles 14 to 31 of the Constitution of Malaysia.

1964 race riots in Singapore 1964 civil unrest in Singapore

The 1964 Singapore Riots refer to a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged in Singapore’s postwar history". The term is also used to refer specifically to two riots on 21 Jul 1964 and 2 Sep 1964, particularly the former, during which 23 people died and 454 others suffered severe injuries.

Radio Klasik is a national Malay language-radio station operated by Radio Televisyen Malaysia. Its main motto is Menggamit Kenangan.

Self-governance of Singapore Historical progress of Singapore from a colony of the UK (1819) to a sovereign state (1965)

The self-governance of Singapore was carried out in several stages. Since the founding of Singapore in 1819, Singapore had been under the colonial rule of the United Kingdom. The first local elections on a limited scale for several positions in the government of Singapore started in 1948 following an amendment to the Constitution of Singapore.

Singapore in Malaysia Period of Singaporean and Malaysian history

Singapore, officially the State of Singapore, was one of the 14 states of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965. Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963 by the merger of the Federation of Malaya with the former British colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. This marked the end of a 144-year British rule in Singapore which began with the founding of modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. At the time of merger, it was the smallest state in the country by land area.

Crown Colony of Malacca

Malacca was a British Crown colony from 1946 to 1957. It came under British sovereignty after the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, and had been part of the Straits Settlements until 1946.

Malaysia Day Annual holiday to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation in 1963

Malaysia Day is a public holiday held on 16 September every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. This event saw the union of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore into a single state. Singapore, however, was expelled from the federation less than two years later, on 9 August 1965.

2017 Southeast Asian Games

The 2017 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games and commonly known as Kuala Lumpur 2017, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was the sixth time that Malaysia hosted the games and its first time since 2001. Previously, it had also hosted the 1965, 1971, 1977 and 1989 editions of the games. The 2017 edition is most notable for being the first edition to include winter sports.

Negaraku Malaysia National Anthem

Negaraku is the national anthem of Malaysia. It was selected as a national anthem at the time of the Federation of Malaya's independence from the UK in 1957. The tune was originally used as the regional anthem of Perak, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled "La Rosalie" composed by the lyricist Pierre-Jean de Béranger.

Malaysia Agreement Treaty combining North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore into Malaya

The Malaysia Agreement or the Agreement relating to Malaysia between United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore was the agreement which combined North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore with the existing states of the Federation of Malaya, the resulting union being named Malaysia. Singapore was later expelled from Malaysia, becoming an independent state on 9 August 1965.

2015 Southeast Asian Games

The 2015 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 28th Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event hosted by the city-state of Singapore. It was the fourth time the country hosted the games. Singapore previously also hosted the games in 1973, 1983 and 1993 edition.

Proclamation of Singapore

The Proclamation of Singapore is an annex of the Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state dated 7 August 1965 between the Government of Malaysia and Government of Singapore, and An Act to amend the Constitution of Malaysia and the Malaysia Act on 9 August 1965 signed by the Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and, was read on the day of separation from Malaysia, which was 9 August 1965, by Lee Kuan Yew, the first Singaporean prime minister.

Proclamation of Malaysia

The Proclamation of Malaysia was a statement, written in Malay and English, that declared the merger of the existing states of the Federation of Malaya with the British crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore into the new Federation of Malaysia, following the enactment of the Malaysia Agreement and the Malaysia Act 1963 that July. The merger came into effect on 16 September 1963, and the proclamation was delivered on that date by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in the Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

References

  1. History of Singapore Part 2 on YouTube.
  2. "Malaysians Should Reflect On Lyrics From Malaysia Forever". 15 September 2015.