Thread by @pengundi_sedar

BE PROUD OF BAHASA MALAYSIA

Steven Lee

I REFER to the recent news reports on our recently appointed Attorney General, Tommy Thomas, being heckled by a bunch of unruly supporters of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

thestar.com.my/opinion/letter…

(Thread)

The supporters reportedly demanded that Thomas use Bahasa Malaysia (BM) in his press conference.

While I don’t agree with the supporters’ unruly behaviour (it just shows their immaturity), I would admit that I was also upset by the fact that our AG has a poor command of BM.

Some may defend him for using English because the former prime minister’s court case has attracted the attention of the international media. But the trial is being held in Malaysia and the accused is a Malaysian, and a former prime minister to boot.

I’m very certain that foreign journalists would be able to get the English version of the court proceedings and press conferences. Therefore, it is pathetic that a high-ranking government official like the AG does not have a good command of our national and official language.

It’s even more embarrassing for Thomas to admit his lack of proficiency in BM because he has neglected it.

I have great respect for Thomas as he is a well-known, humble and no-nonsense lawyer. But doesn’t he know that under Article 152 of the Federal Constitution, BM has to be used for government and official purposes?

How is he even qualified to be the AG in the first place if he’s ignorant of the usage of our national language and the fact that he’s a Malaysian citizen holding a Malaysian passport?

I’m also disappointed to read comments on social media defending Thomas for his poor command of BM, citing that being proficient in BM does not necessarily mean you’re smart. What nonsense is this? BM is our national language and we should be proud of it.

It’s our duty as citizens of Malaysia to uphold our national language. I suggest that Malaysian citizens who have no interest in upholding BM pack their bags and leave the country.

My company in Kuala Lumpur recently hosted some Korean expatriates who, during their first month with us, insisted that I & my other Malaysian colleagues teach them BM after office hours. I was even amazed to see them watching YouTube videos on BM tutorials during lunch break.

When I asked them why they were so interested in learning BM, they said: “It’s common sense, we’re in your country so we must learn how to speak your national language, no excuses.”

On a Malaysia Airlines flight to London recently, I sat next to a British guy who was going back to the UK after working for one year in KL.

We started talking and then he began to speak to me in BM. I was amazed by his excellent command of BM and asked him how he had learnt to speak so well despite being in Malaysia for just one year.

He told me that he took BM lessons at a language centre in KL, paying for them from his own pocket, and practised with his Malaysian colleagues.

So it doesn’t make sense for Malaysian citizens who live in their own country to ignore the national language while foreigners are willing to learn it. I feel that we are all too obsessed with our ethnicity and are sacrificing the Malaysian in us.

I hope our new AG and the Cabinet ministers will have excellent command of both English and BM. I also hope the new government will focus on improving the rakyat’s proficiency in both languages.

ALL Malaysians must be proficient in BM and English. Mother tongue languages such as Chinese and Tamil must come in third.

STEVEN LEE
Puchong, Selangor

Sumber: The Star