YEAR five history textbooks for vernacular schools have been carrying the translated lyrics of Negaraku since at least 2014, the New Sunday Times reports.

A copy of the Education Ministry-approved textbook for vernacular schools obtained by NST showed that Negaraku translated into Chinese and Tamil for vernacular schools.

Both the Chinese and Tamil textbooks were published by Dewan Pustaka dan Bahasa and have been around since 2014.

Wo De Guo Jia or Negaraku can be found on page 128 while the Tamil version, too, is published on page 128 of the history textbook.

A short video of schoolchildren singing the national anthem in Mandarin at a vernacular school in Negri Sembilan has created a stir on social media.

Negri Sembilan education, entrepreneurship, investments and industrialisation committee chairman Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek said the pupils involved were in standard five.

“The investigation found that the teacher had translated Negaraku into the pupils’ mother tongue to help them understand the national anthem better.”

However, he said, the national anthem can only be sung in Bahasa Malaysia.

The Education Ministry said on Friday that it will not compromise on any breach of the constitution, when it comes to the national anthem.

Chairman of Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said it should have been made clear from the start that Negaraku should only be sung in Bahasa Malaysia.

“However, textbooks should be allowed to remain in the vernacular language to help children understand the meaning of the lyrics. We should celebrate unity in diversity.”

Meanwhile, Gerakan chairman Dr Dominic Lau said Malaysians should not alter the national anthem as it goes against the National Anthem Act 1968.

Although he understood the school’s intention, Lau said the national anthem should be sung in accordance to the law.

Police are also investigating three video clips which showed the national anthem being sung in Arabic. – December 8, 2019.