PETALING JAYA: Although Bahasa Malaysia (BM) is the national language and should be given its due place and respect, the government’s move to consider punitive measures to enforce the use of BM in the civil service does not sit well with English language advocates.
Parent Action Group for Education president Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim (pix) said language should not be made a zero-sum game.
“Neither should the English language be made the sacrificial lamb in our promotion of the national language,” she told theSun.
Azimah said history shows that the national education system abolished English medium schools in 1969, and gradually turned national schools into Malay medium ones from 1970 for the sake of national identity. However, there was every opportunity to strengthen the sovereignty of BM.
“While BM proficiency has improved among Malaysians, we have failed to make it a regional language in the last 60 years. So, it is unlikely that it will be the language of Asean, especially with Indonesia vying for the top spot.”
She said the government should realise that Malaysia is not a superpower or a developed country.
Azimah, who is also the National Education Advisory Council member at the Education Ministry, said Malaysia is a trading nation, and if we fail to communicate in a universal language, which is English, we have much to lose.
“We should be confident and proud to speak in the English language, which is the language of knowledge and diplomacy.”
Azimah said a nation will not go far if it wants to remain monolingual and exclusive.
“Even the Indonesians are not merely learning the English language but also mastering it. And do not forget China’s progress in English as well,” she said.
Former International Trade and Industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said putting English in the backburner would be a bad move.
“We should be raising our levels of proficiency in English and other relevant languages. I sympathise with ministry officials and others who have to deal with the foreign community in whatever sphere.”
Rafidah said foreigners are complaining about this backsliding in policies and focus.
“It must be noted that it is in the Cabinet minutes that all communications should be conducted in English for efficiency and efficacy in our delivery of services to our stakeholders,” she said, adding that Malaysia was the preferred investment and business destination as communication was facilitated and effective.
“If this mindset of being inward-looking continues, we will be the bureaucratic outcast in Asean,” she said.
English Speaking Union Malaysia chairman Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar said it is preposterous to enforce punitive measures if our officials spoke and wrote in English for the sake of efficiency.
“Although BM is our mother tongue and we should know how to speak it, English is the common language of the world. Half the world’s population speak it so how can we communicate and interact effectively if we don’t practise or understand it?
“We were the leader of the English language at one time and always the spokesman representing Asean in all its dealings with the world because of our excellent English. Now, we can only listen but cannot talk.”
She said using a translator at meetings abroad would not give the right impact on what one is trying to say.
