Why Is Everyone Posting “Akan Berkati Sekalian Yang Setia, Musuhnya Habis Binasa” from the Negeri Sembilan State Anthem?
A line about loyalty rewarded and enemies destroyed is circulating as a rallying cry in Negeri Sembilan which comes from the state national anthem.
A single line of verse has been appearing across Negeri Sembilan social media in recent weeks: Akan berkati sekalian yang setia, musuhnya habis binasa (all who are loyal shall be blessed, his enemies utterly destroyed).
The words come from the state anthem, sung at every official ceremony for over a century. Accounts following the succession dispute have been posting the line on its own, as a statement of allegiance.
What do the lyrics say?
The anthem, “Berkatlah Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan”, runs to six lines.
The full text, with a plain English translation:
Berkatlah Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Blessed be the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
Kurniai sihat dan makmur Grant him health and prosperity
Kasihi rakyat, lanjutkan umur May he cherish the people, and long may he live
Akan berkati sekalian yang setia All who are loyal shall be blessed
Musuhnya habis binasa His enemies utterly destroyed
Berkatlah Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Blessed be the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
The anthem is a doa (prayer) for the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, the office established today under Article 7 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959.
Who wrote the anthem?
The anthem was adopted in 1911, during the reign of Tuanku Muhammad ibni Yamtuan Antah, the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Besar, who ruled from 1888 to 1933. The melody was composed by Andrew Caldecott, a British Malayan Civil Service officer then serving in the state, who went on to colonial governorships in Ceylon and Hong Kong. The lyrics are attributed to Tunku Zakaria Mambang. At 115 years old, the anthem is among the oldest state anthems in Malaysia, younger only than those of Perak and Johor.
The line musuhnya habis binasa has lived a full civic life outside royal ceremony. It serves as the motto of Negeri Sembilan FC, and in February 2026 the club released a third kit named after the phrase (Negeri Kita, 5 February 2026). For most of its existence the line has been shouted at football matches rather than typed into political threads.
The re-arrangement by Tunku Zain of the national anthem
The version of the anthem heard today is a modern rearrangement, and the identity of the arranger is where the story folds back into the present crisis.
The anthem was restored and rearranged by Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, the second son of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar. Working with music teacher Chong Yew Boon and composer Johari Salleh, he produced arrangements for orchestra, school choir and military band, with the stated aim of preserving Caldecott’s original melody and the 1911 lyrics while renewing respect for the anthem among younger Malaysians.
The orchestral version was recorded with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and choir groups drawn from schools across the state, first performed publicly at the installation ceremonies of Tuanku Muhriz and Tuanku Aishah Rohani in 2009, and officially launched on 27 October 2010 (The Star, 30 October 2010,Utusan Malaysia, 28 October 2010).
Tunku Zain has held the title of Tunku Panglima Besar since 11 June 2026, conferred by his father after the previous holder forfeited it.
Why is the line circulating now?
Since the events of April and June 2026, social media posts from accounts supportive of Tuanku Muhriz have adopted musuhnya habis binasa as a form of declaration.
Translation:
“But behind this success, they are tainted by the Istana issue. When the Chairman of Parti Wawasan himself installed a different Yamtuan from the existing one. And during the election, Wawasan and PAS engaged in plenty of derhaka (treasonous/disloyal) theatrics, siding with the old Undang. They started off with a degree of friction with the Istana.
To my mind, even if Rais Yatim’s son wins in Kelawang and there’s an attempt to put him forward as MB candidate, the Istana will never accept it. It may take waiting out two or three more elections. If his father still thinks he can play chess with the King.
The fact that the BN President had an audience with Yamtuan Tuanku Muhriz shows that BN recognises Tuanku and the Undangs who stand with Tuanku. That alone is enough to kill off Rais Yatim and his allies’ next move.
The biggest winner, in my view, is the Yamtuan of N9 and the Istana.
Though pressured and insulted, they simply stayed steady. The coup failed the first time, and failed the second time too.
The words of the Negeri Sembilan anthem ring true. Blessed be those who are loyal, their enemies utterly destroyed.
It’s just that, to my mind, enemies will always be lurking in every corner, and I’m sure the Yamtuan is keeping his guard up too. From this whole episode, His Majesty comes across as unruffled and wise.
Congratulations to BN-PN on the win. Now everyone can stop politicking and get to work.
With respect, Liyana Marzuki”
Translation:
“Where have the supporters of the four Undangs and the Tunku Besar Tampin gone?
Where have the supporters of the ‘Twelfth Yamtuan’, Tunku Nadzaruddin, gone?
Where has the Klawang assemblyman gone, Danni Rais, son of TS Rais Yatim?
Meanwhile the new Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Ismail Lasim, has duly paid obeisance and sworn the oath of loyalty to Yamtuan Tuanku Muhriz, witnessed by the two Undangs of Luak Sungei Ujong and Luak Rembau at Istana Besar Seri Menanti.
It is finally proven that Yamtuan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir remains seated upon the throne.
‘All who are loyal shall be blessed. His enemies utterly destroyed!!!’”
The line has also appeared in published commentary. A Harapan Daily column by Azlan Zainal on the appointment of Datuk Ismail Lasim as Menteri Besar, published the morning after the swearing-in at Istana Besar Seri Menanti, closed with the same words, presented as vindicated by the outcome (Harapan Daily, 2 August 2026).
“Yang paling menyerlah ialah kebijaksanaan Istana dan kesabaran Tuanku Muhriz. Percaturan yang diatur dengan tenang akhirnya membuahkan hasil, manakala pihak yang lantang mencabar kini diam seribu bahasa.
Politik elit ini luar biasa, jadi tiada pelik institusi ini boleh bertahan ratusan tahun lamanya.
Maka benarlah kata “Akan berkati sekalian yang setia, musuhnya habis binasa!”
“What stands out most is the astuteness of the Istana and the patience of Tuanku Muhriz. The pieces, moved calmly across the board, ultimately bore fruit, while those who loudly mounted the challenge have now fallen completely silent.
This elite politics is remarkable, so it is no surprise that this institution has endured for hundreds of years.
Thus the words prove true: ‘All who are loyal shall be blessed, his enemies utterly destroyed!”
Social media sentiment of this kind is illustrative rather than representative, and this publication draws no conclusion from it about wider opinion in the state.
That this single line has re-emerged at all is nevertheless revealing. For more than a century it was simply part of a ceremonial anthem, heard at official functions and football matches alike.
In August 2026 it has acquired a second life, quoted as a shorthand for the constitutional struggle itself.
Footnote:
This publication has not independently verified the claims in social media posts.
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Related Posts:
Sources:
Lagu Negeri Sembilan (Portal Rasmi Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan)
Lagu kebesaran negeri digubah semula (Utusan Malaysia, 28 October 2010)
Prince fine-tunes Negri Sembilan anthem (The Star, 30 October 2010)
MPO memainkan Lagu Kebesaran Negeri Sembilan, ‘Berkatlah Yang di-Pertuan Besar’ (YouTube, July 2026)
NSFC lancar kit ketiga 2025-2026 (Negeri Kita, 5 February 2026)
Namun di sebalik kejayaan ini, mereka terpalit isu Istana (X post by @liyana_marzuki, 2 August 2026)
Anak Nogori is independent commentary on the unfolding constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan, where centuries-old Adat Perpatih, royal succession law, and modern political manoeuvring are colliding in ways Malaysia has never seen before. If you find this useful, share it with someone who should be following this, or subscribe to receive the latest articles in your inbox.
