Minister says 'Chinese Negaraku' claim a symptom of 'bebal-ism'

Summary

• Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek says false claims about the Negaraku being sung in Chinese are caused by stupidity.

• She says children must be protected from such negative influences and taught to get to know other races better.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek did not mince words when taking a swipe at a Perikatan Nasional activist who wrongly claimed students singing the Perak state anthem were instead singing Negaraku in Chinese.

She said the embarrassing claim is because the activist - whom she did not name - was suffering from a case of “bebal-ism” (being stupid).

“Why bebal-ism? First for slander; second for not being able to differentiate Negaraku from the Perak anthem; third for not feeling shame at spreading slander; fourth for not being responsible for the slander and ‘kebebalan’ (stupidity) being spread; and fifth for being ignorant of the history of state anthems,” she said in a Facebook post last night.

Fadhlina’s remarks were aimed at Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, better known as Ratu Naga, who made the claim two days ago.

Syarul Ema said she took down the video within 10 minutes after uploading it on her social media but accused Pakatan Harapan cybertroopers of illegally downloading the content and making it viral.

She “apologised” for the matter yesterday, saying she did not understand “bahasa pelat” (speaking with a thick accent).

Fadhlina said efforts to uplift the country’s pride must be done through knowledge and not stupidity.

She said there is also a need to protect children from influencers who spread negativity while encouraging them to learn, understand, and uplift each other.

Deputy education minister's aide lodges police report against Ratu Naga

Ratu Naga 'sorry' over 'Chinese Negaraku' claim, deflects blame

Education Ministry rebukes influencer over false 'Chinese Negaraku' claim

Perak exco decries 'Chinese Negaraku at school' slander