Maju dan sejahtera

This is the anthem that we used to sing at the top of our lungs as pupils every morning, except Thursdays. Thursdays were for house assemblies and we sang our respective house anthems instead of 'Maju dan Sejahtera' and the school anthem.

We came to like the song very quickly when we first came to the school. A lot of us were from outside KL, and a huge portion were from outside Klang Valley. Sure we love our state anthems more but when it came to Lagu Wilayah, a lot of us agreed it was the best anthem we ever sang.

I don't know horse dung about music but singing this sent chills down my spine, especially during the  last two lines. In harmony with my schoolmates, it rose our spirits and infused into us a sense of belonging toward the Federal Territory in the process.

Of course, like many good things, it's only a matter of time before someone came in and ruined it. In 2011, the minister in charge of federal territories decided to replace the anthem with a boring rhythm that somehow sounds quite like the Singapore national anthem. 

Hear the song below that defies the concept of improvement. Compare with its predecessor.

And here's Singapore national anthem. Sounds a bit familiar?