Somewhere In A Parallel Universe Far Far Away

Had Malaysia been an English-speaking nation, its national anthem, like America's 'Star Spangled Banner', Canada's 'O Canada' and Britain's 'God Save The Queen', might have been something like this:

[sung to the tune of Negaraku]

O land of mine,
So blessed by God and so divine
Especially in terms of harmony;
No other king was loved more than our own
Or such a thing as flags more proudly flown,
No other king was loved more than our own
Or such a thing as flags more proudly flown.

And two of its patriotic songs might also have been something like this:

[sung to the tune of Setia]

A nation the world's ignored before
Suddenly was the talk of every town
As its growth rate upwards climbed all the time
Whilst everyone else's went down.*

It was a vision of national greatness
That has brought us where we were today:
An economy that has come to be 
Regarded by the world as impossible;*
It was a vision of national greatness
That has stirred us up too in a way:
Such as number one, second best to none,
In all we sought to do till it was done.

* [high single-digit growth rates from early 1980s to mid-1990s]


[sung to the tune of Sejahtera Malaysia]

A nation no one's heard about before's
About to be made known forevermore

In ways not heard about before:

Malay-ay-sia forevermore.

And, yes, were we found worthy of the land,

Almighty God would see and understand

That we deserved what greatness was in store:
Malay-ay-sia forevermore.

Harmony was something that came naturally

For the whole wide world to see;

The king we loved whilst God above has blessed us quite abundantly.

And, yes, were we found worthy of the land

Almighty God would see and understand
That we deserved what greatness was in store:
Malay-ay-sia forevermore.