'Melestari Madani' a gift from Sarawak Japen for HKHM 2023

KUCHING - The Sarawak Information Department (JaPen) took three weeks to produce the lyrics for the song 'Melestari Madani', which is now being sung in conjunction with National Day and Malaysia Day (HKHM) 2023.

According to its director Jaafar Jantan, who is also one of the lyricists, the song 'Melestari Madani' which originated as a poem and later made into a song, caught the attention of Communications and Digital (KKD) Minister Fahmi Fadzil when he visited Kuching in May.

"It began as a poem penned by our staff Robin Junang, highlighting Malaysia Madani's development. When we decided to transform it into a song, I included some elements like the Rukun Negara to add depth to the lyrics,” he told Bernama when met recently.

After listening to the song, Fahmi was intrigued by its arrangement and suggested that 'Melestari Madani' could be enhanced for a national-level presentation, Jaafar added.

Following KKD's suggestion to include various languages in the song, Jaafar modified the second chorus section to incorporate lines of lyrics in Kadazan, Iban, and Sarawak Malay.

In line with the theme "Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan Penuhi Harapan” (Malaysia Madani: Datermination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope), the lyrics touch on the six core values of Madani, keMampanan (Sustainability), kesejAhteraan (Prosperity), Daya cipta (Innovation), hormAt (Respect), keyakiNan (Trust) and Ihsan (Compassion) all of which should be upheld with the principles of the Rukun Negara.

Unlike earlier patriotic songs with predictable 'traditional' and 'stereotypical' rhythms, the music arrangement for the song combines a mix of rhythms, including patriotic, ballad, and rap.

What's even more interesting, frequently heard expressions in Sarawak and Sabah like "Ooohaaa" and "Aramaiti," gain attention in the rap's concluding segment. Moreover, Iban language is seamlessly woven into the lyrics of the same section.

The four-minute music video for 'Melestari Madani' was recently released on the Sarawak JaPen's YouTube channel about three weeks ago.

Apart from the state's Japen Pentarama, KKD's strategic partners, such as RTM Sarawak and the Sarawak branch of the National Film Development Corporation (Finas), were also involved in the music recording and music video process of 'Melestari Madani', said Jaafar.

"We had only three months to complete the entire process, and almost 10 discussions were held with the entire production team throughout that period," he said adding that the process started in June after improving the lyrics.

The song was officially launched during the National Month and Fly Jalur Gemilang 2023 programme in Sarawak earlier this month. It was also played during the Konvoi Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang throughout Sarawak.

The song composers, Clane Capitalise Buson and Jacobson Lulian were tasked with overseeing the musical arrangement which requires a high creativity level. It ensures that the rhythm captivates listeners of all age groups, especially the youth, added Jaafar.

"That is why we apply rap elements in the song to attract young people. Other challenges include the selection of Pentarama artistes' voices that are suitable according to the arrangement of the lyrics and song," he said.

Commenting on why the word 'melestari' which means to remain and preserve was chosen as the title of the song, Jaafar said it signifies the importance of Malaysians to together achieve Madani aspirations in order to preserve the nation's civilsation.

It aligns with the lyrics in Iban language ‘Madani mai peransang’ and ‘Maju terus mangsang nama Malaysia dijulang’ which translates as Madani encourages and Move forward to uphold Malaysia.

A verse in Kadazan language such as ‘Mogiiso mongunsub pogun’ and ‘Prinsip gatang tasahag’ is a call for Malaysian to drive the country and uphold the principles of noble values.

As a gift from JaPen and KKD's strategic partners in conjunction with national month, Jaafar hoped that Malaysians will embrace the message conveyed in the song.

"We want to use songs to convey our love for the nation, especially during national month, he added. - BERNAMA