Nationalist or Misinformed? Ratu Naga Called Out for Mistaking State Anthem as Disrespect to Malaysia
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It only took three minutes of fury and one major mistake for political influencer Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, better known as Ratu Naga, to become the center of online backlash — again.
In a video rant that went viral over the weekend, Ratu Naga accused a group of Chinese schoolchildren of disrespecting the national anthem, after a clip surfaced showing them singing what she believed was a “wrong version” of the Malaysian anthem at an event attended by DAP Socialist Youth Chief, Woo Kah Leong.
“If a Chinese school were to play the national anthem, it would be considered an offence that will go against rules and sensitivities,” she declared in the video — with confidence, but zero verification.
The only problem? The students were actually singing the Perak state anthem, not Negaraku.
The backlash was immediate.
Political attaché Koh Ling Xian responded publicly, accusing Ratu Naga of slander and questioning how someone who identifies as a nationalist could fail to tell the difference between a state and national anthem.
“It is shameful,” Koh said. “Even worse, when the video caught fire online, she deleted it and blamed others for spreading it.”
Koh reminded followers that spreading misinformation is a punishable offence under Malaysian law, and urged the public to be more critical when faced with emotionally-charged accusations online.
Eventually, Ratu Naga did issue a public apology — but for many, the damage had already been done. The incident now joins a long list of political controversies involving social media personalities who cross the line between activism and misinformation.
While some netizens welcomed her apology, others questioned whether it would’ve happened at all had the facts not been so publicly laid bare.In the end, it’s a reminder that volume doesn’t equal truth — and being loud on social media comes with consequences, especially when it involves schoolchildren and national pride.
Source : WOB
