It’s common knowledge to remain still during the national anthem to show respect. Unfortunately, local influencer and Steady Gang member Haoren (朱浩仁) received flak after sharing a video of him fooling around while “Negaraku” was playing at an event.
On the evening of 8th August 2025 (Friday), Haoren and his Steady Gang members attended the 8TV Starfluencer Event. While the media personality won several awards that night, his wins were overshadowed by the controversy over his social media post. According to reports, Haoren had posted a video of himself and his groupmates singing “Negaraku” when it played at the event hall before the award ceremony.
It’s worth noting that filming oneself singing along to the national anthem isn’t an issue. However, the video sparked widespread criticism because Haoren and his groupmate, Tomato, appeared to be fooling around while “Negaraku” was playing. Their actions prompted many netizens to call them out for disrespecting the national anthem. After the issue went viral, Haoren deleted the video and issued an apology.
In his statement, the influencer admitted his mistake and said he deeply regrets his inappropriate behaviour. He added, “I am well aware that the national anthem is not only a symbol of the country, but also carries solemn historical significance and the emotional identification of all citizens.” Haoren also promised to reflect on his actions and behave appropriately at future events.
Haoren’s apology was met with mixed reactions. Some thanked him for being accountable for his actions and urged him to learn from his mistakes. However, others lamented that the influencer should’ve known better than to fool around when singing “Negaraku”, arguing that it’s basic etiquette to respect the national anthem. Some also quipped that he should be more mature, especially since he’s already a father and has many young fans.
Meanwhile, Tomato has yet to issue a statement on the matter. Regardless, we hope Haoren and the rest of Steady Gang will reflect on this issue and learn to be more respectful of the national anthem and other expressions of a country’s identity. Here’s a recording of the now-deleted video:
@harryang_032594 #steadygang main main nyanyi negaraku..buat malu! NI semua artist !!!Nama dia Tomato steadygang tomato 做什么都玩玩 下衰 #janganmainmainnyanyinegaraku
Sources: China Press, Facebook, Instagram
