The song “Berkhidmat Bagi Manusia” (“For the Service of Humanity”) was initially composed for the Teachers’ Training Colleges in Sandakan in the early 1980s by Encik Francis Tan Guan Seng, the then Sandakan Deputy Area Commander. Encik Eainuddin bin Juwahir, a teacher at the college, provided the music score. The song was played in Sandakan Teachers’ Training College for many years before Encik Murukesu Margapandu, a lecturer and SJAM Sabah officer, heard the song and brought it to Kuala Lumpur. Bahagian Pendidikan Guru adopted it as the Colleges’ official St. John song.
In 1997, the “Berkhidmat Bagi Manusia” song was adopted as the official SJAM anthem after slight modifications were made to the lyrics. The initial anthem has a da capo al fine but in the final version, the da capo was removed to shorten the anthem. The final version is reproduced here:
Berkhidmat Bagi Manusia
Music: Eainuddin Juwahir
Lyrics: Francis Tan
Anggota St. John bersiap sedia
untuk berkhidmat kepada manusia
tanpa mengira pelbagai bangsa
agama dan budaya.
Seragam St. John lambang kejituan
dilatih untuk bantu yang derita
tanpa mengharap kurnia dan ganjaran
berbakti sepanjang masa.
Berkorban walau di mana berada
dengan rela hati suci
Berpegang teguh pada cogan kata
Berkhidmat Bagi Manusia.
Inilah sumbangan dari kami
terhadap mu oh ibu pertiwi
sumpah dan ikrar kami tunaikan
kepada nusa dan bangsa.
