The National Anthem: Contested and Volatile Symbol of Post-Colonial Malaysia, 1957–69

Abstract

This article examines the discourse surrounding the disrespect shown to the National Anthem in Malaysia during the first decade of independence. Initially, those who refused to stand silently when the Anthem was played were characterized as rude and/or ignorant of the new responsibilities of citizenship. However, the discourse was eventually submerged into the wider and continuing contestation over the meaning of this newly independent nation, and those showing disrespect for the Anthem were racialized and accused of disloyalty to their nation. This article argues that, while a national anthem may be a symbol that resonates with a citizenry due to music's potential as a vessel of emotional (and national) expression, it is precisely an anthem's performative nature that makes it an unstable and malleable symbol of national identity, vulnerable to varying interpretations of the meaning of the nation.