Perak exco decries 'Chinese Negaraku at school' slander

Perak exco decries 'Chinese Negaraku at school' slander


Published: Apr 4, 2025 7:47 PM
Updated: 10:47 PM


Summary

• Perak exco Woo Kah Leong denies claims that a school in Teluk Intan sang the national anthem in Chinese, clarifying it was the Perak state anthem, which shares a similar melody with Negaraku.

• He stressed that Chinese national-type schools promote patriotism and routinely sing both the national and state anthems at official events.

• The allegation stemmed from a resurfaced video with captions misrepresenting the school’s event and Woo’s presence.

Perak executive councillor Woo Kah Leong has condemned allegations that a school in Teluk Intan had sung the national anthem in Chinese during an event at the school.

He said the attendees at the event were in fact singing the Perak state anthem “Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan”, which has a melody similar to the national anthem “Negaraku”.

In a statement today, Woo said Chinese national-type schools inculcate patriotism and love towards one’s home state, just like national schools.

That is why the school’s students and staff would sing both the national and state anthems during the school’s official functions.

“I welcome those who play on this issue to visit Perak to enlighten themselves, especially when it comes to differentiating between Negaraku and the Perak state anthem.

“As a Perakian, I feel pride whenever I sing the Perak state anthem, and when I see all generations of students do the same regardless of the type of school,” the DAP Youth chief said.

The video from June last year recently resurfaced, showing Woo standing at attention and singing along with teachers and students.

Captions and annotations added to the video highlighted the presence of the DAP leader and insinuated that they were singing Negaraku in Chinese.

However, the audio of the clip appears distorted.

While a melody resembling either Negaraku or Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan can be heard, it is difficult to discern its lyrics.