ON Dec 1, a Malaysian Virtual YouTuber or Vtuber with the username wushii 武士 | Vtuber commented (now deleted) on a tweet on X, on how necessary it was to speak Bahasa Melayu in order to live in Malaysia.
“I was born in Malaysia and lived in Malaysia for 20 years and yet I cannot speak Bahasa Melayu because I went to a private school that uses a Cambridge curriculum.
“Does the language that I speak or know define me if I am Malaysian? If so, that will mean I am not a Malaysian,“ wushii said.
Majority of netizens took the stance against wushii, stating that it is ignorant and oblivious for someone who was born in Malaysia to not possess any mastery in speaking Bahasa Melayu.
This prompted the Vtuber to delete her tweet to not escalate the situation further.
On Dec 11, wushii posted another tweet, clarifying the situation as a misunderstanding and that people have misinterpreted the initial tweet.
“I’m sorry for the harsh tone in my tweet. I didn’t mean to say anything negative about the language or refuse to learn it. I studied Bahasa Melayu as a foreign language in a Cambridge curriculum, and my lack of confidence in speaking it is due to my upbringing where English, Chinese, and dialects were more common.
“The tweet was about an incident in an immigration office, emphasising the mistreatment of individuals who may not know a language. I respect Bahasa Melayu as Malaysia’s national language.
“It’s essential to recognize that not everyone speaks Bahasa Melayu in Malaysia, given its diverse population and languages. I’m not disrespecting the national language; I just want understanding for people with different backgrounds and circumstances affecting their language skills.”
