Johor state anthem “Lagu Bangsa Johor” can be traced back some 110 years ago. The song is memorised by heart by all Johoreans regardless of race. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
IT is a song that is always sung by every Johorean by heart but not many know the origin of the state anthem, Lagu Bangsa Johor, which can be traced back some 110 years ago.
The Lagu Bangsa Johor is not only sung at schools during assembly but also before government events and at Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) football games, both at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium and the club away matches.
Johor Royal Court Council member Datuk Dr Kassim Thukiman said that in the late 19th century, there was a song named Selamat Sultan during the reign of Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar Ibni Almarhum Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim.
“Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar, also known as the father of modern Johor, really liked the Selamat Sultan song, which was composed by Johor Military Force (JMF) bandmaster M. Galistan but the song had no lyrics to it.
“However, in 1914, an Englishman named Hubert A. Courtney, a manager with HSBC Bank in Johor Baru back then, had written the lyrics in English and it was translated into Malay by Major Datuk Muhd Said Sulaiman, who was assisted by JMF drum major Abdul Rahim Abdul Karim.
“The song was named Lagu Johor and was accepted by Johor’s second ruler Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar,” he added.
Kassim said that Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim wanted to unite all races in the state who then decreed that the song would be named Lagu Bangsa Johor.
Johor Royal Court Council member Datuk Dr Kassim Thukiman said the song “Lagu Bangsa Johor” was made some 110 years ago.
He added that the song was then approved and endorsed by the Johor state secretary at the time, Datuk Mohamed Mahbob, and British general advisor Douglas G. Campbell a year later before being accepted by Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim.
Kassim, who is also a Yayasan Warisan Johor board member and local historian, said that in the book titled Selamat Johor written by Datuk Onn Jaafar, who was Umno’s founding father and former Johor mentri besar, it stated that the initial name for the song was Selamat Sultan but the song underwent name changes before being the official song for the Johor modern sultanate.
“If we look at it from a national point of view, Johor has created many basic matters of statehood such as the Undang Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Johor 1895, education system including for Islamic religion, legal system, military system, and many more.
“This also includes the official song for the state, which is known as Lagu Bangsa Johor, which is known till this day.
“So officially, when Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim accepted the song in 1915, it was also the first time the song was played publicly,” he added.
Kassim also said that when going through the lyrics of Lagu Bangsa Johor, it has never been changed for more than 110 years.
He added that this shows the Lagu Bangsa Johor lyrics are eternal in nature because it covers every aspect related to the existence of a sovereignty and the ruling of a sultan with the patronage of the people being led.
“In fact, the term merdeka (independent) is mentioned in the song, which proves the British recognised the state’s sovereignty of an administration under the ruling of the Johor modern sultanate,” he said.
Kassim also said that Lagu Bangsa Johor was the official song of the Johor sultanate where the people, in particular students, have been given guidelines to sing the state song, together with Negaraku, during their school assembly.
“The song is sung on a daily basis at every school in Johor and this is why every Johorean knows the lyrics by heart from young to old,” he added.
