1Malaysia

I have nothing against slogans and taglines.
We have seen enough of them on billboards and print advertisements and those television and radio commercials fronting for countries (re: tourism) and products. Most often than not, they are backed by campaigns for periods that the money can stretch.
And we have had our fair share of government slogans and taglines drummed into our heads, don’t we?
Baby boomers may still remember Saiful Bahari’s Muhibbah song (check out the song and video here ) while Generation-X may have heard “Setia” (check lyrics here ), penned by “Tok Mat Bulat” (no disrespect Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, you’re famous by that name!)?
Heck, I can still remember the singers, all dressed in their traditional costumes, and lining up, as if for a firing squad, singing “Demi Negara yang tercinta, Di curahkan bakti penuh setia …” before the end of the RTM transmission at midnight. How long ago was that?
After “Setia”, we had the "Mesra" and "Semarak" campaigns by the same Tok Mat Bulat (maaf again, Tan Sri!).
Oh, who can forget another song, Keranamu Malaysia (lyrics by Siso/Kopratasa) which fronted a six-year campaign prior to the country's 50th independence in 2007. "...Keranamu kami bebas merdeka, Keranamu nyawa dipertaruhkan, Keranamu rela kami berjuang, Demi bangsa kedaulatan negara ..." Despite the upbeat tempo and catchy chorus, it gives me the goose bumps listening to this song!
And of course, Malaysia Boleh, our war cry.
And what about 1Malaysia? Well, what about it? I haven’t seen an integrated campaign on both print and electronic media although all and sundry are using the logo for almost everything and anything.
Is it because there is uncertainty of what 1Malaysia, the slogan with a promise of “People First, Performance Now”, is about?
When there are too many calls of “What do you know of 1Malaysia” or the likes, there are way too many interpretations of it.
Isn’t 1Malaysia a call for unity among Malaysians? If it is, then it is not a new thing. In the mid-1980s, it was under Integrasi Nasional (national integration). In the 1970s, there was of course Muhibbah.
Well, even the biggest brands with famous taglines change their slogan every few years. Coke was one. People still remembers it as “It’s the Real Thing” although they have had many, many taglines over the years such as “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” and “Coke adds life.”
But these slogans and taglines were backed by multi-million dollar campaigns especially since it has worldwide acceptance.
Going back to 1Malaysia, where are the campaigns? Since it is a government slogan, who best to do it if not the Ministry of Information, which is also saddled with the Communications and Culture portfolio?
In his political memoirs, Umno: Akhir Sebuah Impian (Umno: The End of a Dream), Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat explained the rationale behind the campaigns he launched when he was the Information Minister. The Setia campaign, for example, was to bring back loyalty of the Malays to Umno following the Team A vs Team B split in the party in 1987.
It really was a psychological warfare back then. And it would be similar this time too.
Only, when will it start?
People questioned what 1Malaysia was about when it was first introduced. People are continuing to ask about it.
It is undoubtedly a difficult task; creating such a campaign for a country demands an integration policy – where the ability to act and speak is done in a coordinated and repetitive way but someone has to start somewhere with it.
By the way, when was the last time you heard this song,, which won the 1Malaysia song contest? Isn’t it supposed to be THE 1Malaysia song?