FMT interviewed two singers of vintage patriotic songs to get their opinions on why most Malaysians seemed to prefer the tunes from yesteryear.
“The old songs had a strong marching beat,” said Mohammed Rauzan Alwi, who is better known by his stage name, Roy.
“Perhaps the government now wants to attract the younger generation with ballads or other more modern genres that the kids are into these days, but you need to create songs with a firm marching beat,” he said. “That’s the principal character in patriotic songs.
“Patriotic songs in the past were also simpler and easier to remember and would always build to a climax, whether it be in the melody or the lyrics.”
In the 90s, Roy often appeared on RTM singing patriotic songs like “Malaysiaku Gemilang”, “Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan”, “Wawasan 2020” and others.
Nowadays he spends most of his time singing at dinner functions and teaching choirs in colleges. He also has vocal classes for choral groups and individuals and works at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as a guest speaker.
“Saya Anak Malaysia” composer and lead singer Salim Ibrahim, better known as Dr Sam Rasputin, said changes in the music industry had resulted in poor exposure for new patriotic songs.
“Artists no longer come up with albums and are instead marketing their music on the internet through websites like YouTube and SoundCloud,” he said.
“So instead of coming out with a bunch of songs, they’re forced to compete in the market with only one or two of their singles, which need to have enough power to grab the attention of the audience. And you don’t do this with patriotic songs. You do this with love songs.”
As a result, he said, patriotic songs had been given a back seat.
“The youths of today don’t want to listen to patriotic songs. They don’t even want to listen to Malay songs anymore.
“Back in the 80s and 90s, the time was right because there was a generation of people who loved their country.”
In his heyday, Dr Sam was a known reggae fan and could often be seen in Rasta attire. He is now active in the Tablighi Jamaat movement and spends most of his time holding religious talks. He also runs a shop at Taman Bukit Indah that sells traditional health products made from habbatus sauda (black seed).
Tablighi Jamaat is a global Islamic revivalist movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to orthodox Sunni Islam, particularly in matters of ritual, dress, and personal behaviour.