Whether during convocation, formal events, or even as you first step foot into this university, there’s one song that every Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) student knows by heart: “Nakhoda Kemajuan.”
But have you ever wondered about the story behind the anthem that has become a symbol of the university’s spirit and aspirations?
Meet Prof. Dr. Cordelia Mason, the lyricist who crafted the words that have inspired generations of UniKL students.
What may surprise you is that this iconic song was written in just one and a half days—not out of sudden inspiration but in response to an urgent request.
“It was more an outcome of an ‘instruction’ rather than inspiration,” Dr. Cordelia recalled.
“One mid-morning, just a few weeks before the first UniKL convocation at UniKL British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI) in 2004, I bumped into our first President, then Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad (now Tan Sri), in front of the old Bangunan Lama Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA)—now demolished.
“He asked me to write a university song. At that time, I was a Senior Marketing Manager at UniKL Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (UniKL MIIT), which is probably why I was given the task,” she added.
The title “Nakhoda Kemajuan” was not chosen lightly. Dr. Cordelia explains, “MARA’s journey toward building a university was not easy. For many of us within the MARA education landscape, establishing UniKL was a giant leap or significant progress (kemajuan in Malay)”
The word “Nakhoda” was carefully selected to symbolise leadership and direction, steering the new university forward.
“In this context, UniKL is portrayed or positioned as MARA’s leading institution, pioneering the offering of a wide variety of engineering technology programmes at bachelor and graduate level,” she said.
The choice was also inspired by the Malay idiom, “Berlayar dengan nakhoda, berjalan dengan yang tahu, berkata dengan yang pandai,” emphasising the importance of expertise and leadership in any major undertaking.
Despite the limited history and culture to draw from, Dr. Cordelia meticulously researched the aspirations behind the university’s founding.
It delved into the history of MARA institutions like AIM (now UniKL MIIT), UniKL BMI, UniKL Malaysia France Institute, UniKL Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology, and other newly established institutes such as UniKL Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology and UniKL Malaysian Institute of Chemical and Bio-Engineering Technology.
This informed her approach to writing the lyrics, which was more technical than creative.
Surprisingly, despite having no prior experience in songwriting, she inspired the lyrics by genre and discourse analysis principles.
“In half a day, I studied the linguistic features and patterns, semantic nuances as well as hidden meanings or messages in “university song’ genre (some call them university anthems) – perusing the songs of local as well as foreign universities,” said her.
With a clear narrative, she focused on the university’s role in serving its stakeholders—students, MARA, the nation, and the world.
Now, 22 years later, every time the anthem echoes through the halls, Dr. Cordelia feels a mix of nostalgia and hope.
“The university has progressed so well in so many ways. Sometimes I hold my breath when contemplating UniKL’s future trajectory in our increasingly complex world.
“But I am confident that with our pool of ‘ahli’ and ‘nakhoda,’ UniKL will continue to be the ‘Mercu Kejayaan MARA’—the ‘Nakhoda Kemajuan’,” she said.
