The National Anthem

last SG · 2008-02-25T12:11:49+00:00

Some European countries like Germany and France used to think that English could be a threat to their own language and culture,as you can see it is not so to...

Short Ninja SG

It is best to describe them as ethnocentric so as not to hurt their feelings One more question,If only the music of 'Majulah Singapore' is being played and not sung in any language would you all still feel it in your hearts?

White_SoulReaper SG

whatever you say... but i am still not conviced why we should stick to it...

but by other races singaporeans singing the national athem w/o knowing the what it means word to word is another insult to his living memory... It's just saying the words w/o any sentimental meaning...

And r the sch & fellow s'poreans doing enough to educate the young about our national anthem? i dun think so... in my experience of going to singapore public sch for 10 years, it was only once that the school taught us the meaning of the national anthem...and it didnt stick in my head... Do anybody in the surroundings of youth today suggest that youths should check out the meaning of our national anthem?

So what is the point of singing the national anthem w/o sentimental value to it?

My thinking is, if it is translated when it is sung, the youths would respect more of the living memory of singapore & it's founders as they know what the national anthem means...

how is it that i am racial as racial means 'existing betweeen different races'...

Deino SG

you'd have to.....

it is ignorance for a citizen to live only for themselves and not their country......to know the country is to know its national anthem

White_SoulReaper SG

short ninja, of course not... what's the point of a song w/o it's words? would u listen to a love song w/o lyrics? it's the lyrics that makes the whole thing special...

Deino SG

whatever you say... but i am still not conviced why we should stick to it...

So what is the point of singing the national anthem w/o sentimental value to it?

My thinking is, if it is translated when it is sung, the youths would respect more of the living memory of singapore & it's founders as they know what the national anthem means...

how is it that i am racial as racial means 'existing betweeen different races'...

like i said before.....changing the language means disrespecting the writer of the song......

and for those who doesn't take time to know their country for wot it is for is ignorance......

our founders wouldn't have wanted to know that their successors are ignorant people would they....

wot i meant by you being racial was on the topic...being racial on the topic.....

Deino SG

i dunno if this would help but just a quote from wiki about translation;

Interviewed by the Oral History Department in 1989, Dr. Toh Chin Chye said it was appropriate for the national anthem to be in Malay, "the indigenous language of the region, as English is not native to this part of the world." He felt that the "Malay version of the national anthem would appeal to all races... it can be easily understood. And at the same time [it] can be easily remembered... [I]t must be brief, to the point; ... and can be sung"^[30] However, on 22 July 1991, the English daily newspaper The Straits Times reported that during a meeting between the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and community leaders,^[31] a group of grassroots leaders and a lawyer had suggested that "adjustments" should be made to the national anthem. The given reason was that many Singaporeans could not sing it in Malay and therefore did not have "strong feelings" or "strong emotions when they sing the national anthem".^[32] In particular, some grassroots leaders argued that since the Chinese constitute a majority of the population, a Mandarin version of the anthem should be used.^[32] The Prime Minister's response was that he would keep the national anthem as it was while ensuring that translations in other mother tongues were more easily available.^[31] The proposal to change the lyrics was also criticized by former Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam, who felt that the Malay lyrics of the anthem were so simple that "anyone over the age of five, unless mentally retarded, had no difficulty singing the anthem. All Singaporean children of kindergarten age have not only had no difficulty memorising the words but have for decades sung it every morning with 'strong feelings and emotion'." He also noted that the anthem had been translated into Singapore's three other official languages (English, Mandarin and Tamil) for those who cannot understand Malay.^[32]

A subsequent poll by The Straits Times found that while many Singaporeans knew what the anthem generally meant, only seven out of 35 persons interviewed knew the meaning of each word. However, all but three of those interviewed agreed that the anthem should continue to be sung in Malay. The three persons who disagreed felt that the anthem should be in English because that was the language most commonly used in Singapore. All the interviewees, including those who did not know the meaning of the lyrics, said they felt a sense of pride when they heard or sang the national anthem.^[31]

Short Ninja SG

It is not always that an Anthem is sung together with the words.So for instance if you do get a gold medal in the Olympics,you would be without feelings at the flag raising ceremony?

Deino SG

given that if our founding fathers was still alive today and leading spore.....i dun think they would've changed the national anthem....

Short Ninja SG

i dunno if this would help but just a quote from wiki about translation;

Well done for taking the pain to explain.

Deino SG

It is not always that an Anthem is sung together with the words.So for instance if you do get a gold medal in the Olympics,you would be without feelings at the flag raising ceremony?

i've seen athletes sing it......i mean who wouldn't after they've accomplished something for the country......

White_SoulReaper SG

majority of singaporeans r non malays and they too r ignorant & so will their decendent since many r ignorant upon understanding the words of the national anthem...

I believe that singing the anthem w/o knowing its meaning is too disrespecting the writer of the song... so wat can we do abt this situation, either 1 change the translation or 2 educated youths ( must start young ) about the lyrics ( who is gg to enforce this since so many singaporeans are ignorant?) or force them to take up malay language?

ur point of view = changing the translation would be disrespecting the writer of the song

My point of view = ignorant singaoreans singing the anthem w/o knowing it's true meaning is disrespecting the writer of the song...

in my opinion we both r right but contradicting each other... Rather paradoxical dont u think?

Short Ninja SG

i've seen athletes sing it......i mean who wouldn't after they've accomplished something for the country......

I want to see a Singaporean sing and cry at a flag raising ceremony

Deino SG

Well done for taking the pain to explain.

no credits to me......all credits should go to those who have done something for the country......

soulreaper.....i hope there was no personal hard feelings if i have said anything to cause it during this debate

Deino SG

I want to see a Singaporean sing and cry at a flag raising ceremony

maybe not cry but i've seen them sing

White_SoulReaper SG

nah... no hard feelings... same from me to u too... its just a debate

Deino SG

majority of singaporeans r non malays and they too r ignorant & so will their decendent since many r ignorant upon understanding the words of the national anthem...

ur point of view = changing the translation would be disrespecting the writer of the song

My point of view = ignorant singaoreans singing the anthem w/o knowing it's true meaning is disrespecting the writer of the song...

in my opinion we both r right but contradicting each other... Rather paradoxical dont u think?

yes i have to agree with you.....

i think actions must be taken.....

i dun think any translation to sing the song is neccessary.....but translations to understand the song is already availble.....

i just can't believe that there are many ignorant sporeans out there especially when information is like free....you can easily get the translations from the internet or the library......

White_SoulReaper SG

information is everywhere, but the youths were not well educated about patriotism and the about the significance of the national anthem(this is where the prob lies) ... they should be informed about it at a young age at home and at school... unfortunately there are many ignorant singaporeans regarding this, so it just continues from gen to gen... Quite unfortunate actually...

Short Ninja SG

majority of singaporeans r non malays and they too r ignorant & so will their decendent since many r ignorant upon understanding the words of the national anthem...

ur point of view = changing the translation would be disrespecting the writer of the song

My point of view = ignorant singaoreans singing the anthem w/o knowing it's true meaning is disrespecting the writer of the song...

in my opinion we both r right but contradicting each other... Rather paradoxical dont u think?

The lyrics is really quite simple.If you could sing a beatle song this one is really no problem.The job of an adult /teacher is to pass down knowledge correctly so that a young person would not grow up to be ignorant like passing a baton in a relay race.The Anthem is not a Tupac rapp music it has meaning and purpose so do keep up the tradition in understanding it.

Deino SG

it came to me why the national anthem would probably never be changed/sung in any other language.....

Since singapore is an asian country....our leaders want singapore to have its own identity......not malay, nor chinese or any other race but a singapore identity.....

we didn't want to use english probably becoz we didn't want to be viewed as an english 1st world wannabe community.....

we wanted our own community....we are proud to be an asian community.....the singapore community......

i think that was wot our leaders thought......

so changing the national anthem to english would be inappropriate....and changing it to any other language would mean that they are siding a race making it racism.....so the best would've been to leave it as it was...hmmm

Deino SG

Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura

Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura

Come, fellow Singaporeans
Let us progress towards happiness together
May our noble aspiration bring
Singapore success

Come, let us unite
In a new spirit
Let our voices soar as one
Onward Singapore
Onward Singapore

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