Negarakuku

Instead of spending time trying to improve the safety and clean up the streets of Johore, the government is now busy hunting for a web singer/blogger nicked Namewee, after his song, Negarakuku, hit Malaysia by storm.

The thing is I really don't get this! A couple of days ago, our government released a killer who cold bloodedly murdered a girl. Then there's report of the government arresting bloggers under the Official Secrets Act (OSA)! It really got me thinking of where our country s heading. We're turning 50 in less than a month. That's half a century!!! But instead of going for the better, our country is falling backwards! Criminals walk. Bloggers arrested. And now, even web singer is on the wanted list!!! Doesn't this look like what was happening when the communist were in charge? "Obey what we say, or die?" Only in this version, it's more like "obey, or go to jail for the rest of your life."

For those of you, who are still blur and unaware about the incident with Namewee, this is the lo-down. A Chinese dude from Muar, Johore, released the video of a song he wrote about Malaysia on YouTube and the government got pissed and now the dude is wanted. The irony is Namewee was recognized and even credited when he released his first hit, "Muar Mandarin", on YouTube years ago. But now, the government is denouncing him because he wrote a song about this country?!


The Song That Started It All...:

If you cannot understand Mandarin, this is the translation of Negarakuku:

[Main Credits]
2007 Visit Malaysia Year Theme Song
I Love My Country
Negaraku

Singer: Namewee
Original Track: Malaysia National Anthem
Rap Lyrics: Namewee
Composer: Namewee
Director: Namewee, Ah Lai
Editing: Namewee

[Video]
Check it out, yo, yo, yo.... Negaraku, Negarakuku.

I love my country
Only with a country you'll have a home, only then there'll be me, standing here with the ability to sing loudly
Don’t be afraid, even though I curse all the time, my song is just like durian: hard and spiky
If you dare to open it and look inside, you will see the truth within
It can stink or it can smell nice, depending on the type of nose you have

Our police are called "Mata" because they have very sharp eyes
When every New Year comes they'll be working extra hard, holding pens, but they will rarely give you a ticket
Because they are very thirsty and they need to drink tea or even black coffee
Want to add sugar?
If you add sugar, their mouths will be very sweet and smile at you, when you're leaving, they will even go "tata"

Negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku, rakyat hidup bersatu dan maju.

This phenomenon doesn't need any improvement, neither does it need strengthening
The police and the people working close together with just a cup of coffee to keep our relationship temperate
I like that very much, at least I won't go home with a ticket
My dad would sure be pissed off and I'll be fucked up
With no car to drive what can I do? This is too much!
Without a car, how do I go out and have fun?
Without a car, how do I have outdoor sex?
Without a car, how do I go see transvestites?

This country, I love it very much
Every 5am, there's even morning call to wake me up
Sometimes a few of them will sing together, it's like a love duet
With their voice ululating it's like R&B
Even though sometimes they sing out of tune, even though sometimes they even sing until their voices break
Sometimes the sound might sound like cockerels, but they wake up earlier than cockerels
Just so that we can know the time and get ready for school and work

Don't blame the government for only taking care of the Bumiputeras
Don't complain that we do not receive equal rights
Because only this way we can prove that we Chinese are not afraid of hard work
Only this way we can train ourselves to find solutions during hard times
Don't feel weird about their standards because this only shows that we are capable
Without the special treatments our children won't be spoilt and become too dependant
Don't believe? Just look and see! There are still some who are not weaned off breast-feeding

Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan. Raja kita selamat bertakhta.

Those who hide in government departments are even better
Whatever they do, they do it slowly
Even when people who are queuing are already cursing "CHAU CIB@I!", they are still free and easy, they don't care
Sometimes they even bring their cakes out
When they eat their nyonya cakes, you will still have to queue up
Even if you really do curse "CHAU CIB@I!", it's ok, because the guard on the side is always daydreaming, he won't bother you

They wrap their heads up; slowly walk, slowly cross the road
When you drive pass, you have to be careful and let them pass through
The most important thing is to live happily and comfortably
Don’t be like the Chinese, working so hard very day, stressing themselves out
We cannot NOT admire this kind of spirit because this is their attitude in life

In this song, I only say good things
I believe those of you who are pissed at me will disagree
The world is peaceful, full of hope, no one is hurt, and there are no riots
You are classy, you are elegant, your shit is fragrant and you don't curse
You guys are high class, every day is all about romancing and listening to songs by Michael Wong
But the guy has already feld to Taiwan

It's very tough for private school graduates to get into local universities
But actually we don’t have to be pissed about this
It is actually government's very noble planning
They want us to explore the world, to find new opportunities
To learn things, then come back and repay the country
This is plan is so great, I can't criticize it
Around the world you can see Malaysia's children, it's as though they are refugees, ain't it fun?

Malaysia is having Visit Malaysia Year in Year 2007
The Chinese culture is brought out and paraded but the government doesn't even care about private school students
The certificate can be thrown into the dump
Just like me, graduated and went to Taiwan, learn new things and get ready to return home to repay my country

I stood on the streets of Taipei with my guitar but my mouth still sings:
Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan. Raja kita Selamat bertakhta

Jessism On Negarakuku:
This song is sarcastic but one really can't deny that his R&B version of "Negaraku" is superb and his song holds truth. Malaysia is plagued with police that would block and extort money out of innocent drivers at times. I'm sure I'm not the only one in Malaysia who experienced this before! And of course, there's the ever-going debate about the university quota. The so-called Bumiputeras were given a very higher percentage, while other races in the country were given a very low entrance percentage. Malaysia kept stressing on "satu negara, satu bangsa", but they are the one who are practicing the biggest discrimination nationwide. If we are really "satu bangsa", as they say we are, why not abolish the university quota? Why not given all Malaysians a 5% discount when buying properties? And stop calling Malays the "Bumiputeras"!!!

The government sector? Who are we trying to kid?! They are slow, inefficient and a waste of taxpayers' money! If they could work a tad bit faster, be friendlier, and get their job done right, this song wouldn't even be online in the first place! As for security guards? I think whether they're there or not really doesn't make any difference! They are always old uncles who can't even finish a 100m run, or men who are so fat they can't even finish a 100m walk!!

The thing with private school graduates is also true. Their certificate is as good as nothing! With the absurd quota the government set, students with good results are not able to get into good universities, as the place were already taken up by idiots who failed their exams but were given a spot in the university because of the government's stupid quota! No wonder most Chinese families sent their children to countries such as Singapore or Taiwan to further their studies and most chose not to come back. Even our own local singers have to flee to countries like Taiwan to establish their careers!


Jessism On Malaysia: A Conclusion
Our government kept stressing that one shouldn't abuse the freedom of speech. But the thing is: If you haven't done of the things that people said you did, why worry?! I'm really puzzled why the government aren't spending their time trying to make Johore a better place to live in but spending their time releasing cold blodded killers on to the streets and wasting their time on songwriter who writes the truth?!

I love this country. But until the day the government stop running this country like a communist, stop the racial discrimination and admit their mistakes, this nation will never be able to reach the "satu negara, satu bangsa" thingy they wanted… Then again, are we really that stupid to see that it is just an empty promise that the government will never make come true?!

All I can say is: Everyone who are born in Malaysia are Malaysians! Bumiputeras, or not, we deserve the right to be treated equally!

- jessism © 30072007 -