VOICES AROUND: Malaysians (?) Who Don't Speak Bahasa Melayu or English

Friday, August 13, 2010

Malaysians (?) Who Don't Speak Bahasa Melayu or English

This issue was brought up following the news of attitude problems on the ongoing Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010:-

"...PUTRAJAYA, Aug 11 – Attitude problem among the public, especially the Chinese community, is the main challenge faced by the enumerators in the ongoing Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010, Chief Statistician and Census Commissioner Datuk Wan Ramlah Wan Abd Raof said today..."

Read HERE by BigDog and HERE by satD.

I did ask the census officials when they came to my house recently whether the report was true. They confirmed "the main challenge faced" as reported above.

A Malaysian who does not know his own Bahasa Kebangsaan? A great wonder! It is quite okay for a Malaysian not to be fluent in English (yet) but it is entirely and definitely NOT OKAY to claim being a Malaysian, but not fluent in Bahasa Melayu. And those who live here claiming to be Malaysians too, ought to treat the Bahasa Melayu as "your own tongue" and leave your mother tongue to your "mothers" whom by now were long in memoriam, rest in peace, in the faraway mother land. It isn't enough to just claim being a Malaysian. Are you a true Malaysian? Are you not making effort to be one?

Can someone who don't speak your mother tongue differentiate whether you are a foreign visitor (Halal) or a "Pendatang" (Haram) or a "Malaysian" (Fake) since all "sounded" about the same? "Look" also about the same? I think most can differentiate the visitors, but it is quite a challenge to differentiate between a "Pendatang" and a fake malaysian when the fake himself does not speak Bahasa Kebangsaan. A "Pendatang" is trying his luck here, but you who claim to be a Malaysian? What are trying to do? Why are you here? Why don't you go back to where your "mother tongue" belong? Why you get so agitated when labelled as "Pendatang"? It is all your own doing, is it not?

This issue of not being able to speak Bahasa Kebangsaan - we know that our borders are not all sealed up tight. There are humans traficking business going on all over the world. Has "Visa On Arrival (VOA)" anything to do in camouflaging the "Pendatang Haram" as "Halal" Visitors? Why there was no "deep thinking" before VOA was implemented? Why it seems the Ministry of Tourism is the supremo over KDN in this respect? KDN is chicken? No say on VOA? thus the country was flooded to a certain extent by illegal immigrants entering the border legally? At the end the day, VOA was scrapped not so long after being implemented. And to be replaced by VFS? Please, KDN! Have your say here. Study this thing in-depth. We dont know whether VFS will turn out to be good or bad. We know VOA was bad already. Don't just let the Tourism Ministry dictate over you and damage your NKRA. The border of this beloved country is entrusted in your hands KDN! Don't just play chicken!

So Mr. Prime Minister of Malaysia, can you now at least see the importance of having Bahasa Kebangsaan, not only for the reason of Unity (one common language is a cornerstone to unity), but also for security. Neglecting the Bahasa Kebangsaan is hazardous to the country's border and her citizens! So, before you get all excited with your Mandarin thingy, can you please first make sure all Malaysians are fluent in Bahasa Melayu and ensure that Bahasa Melayu sits at it proper place as accorded by the Constitution and Language Act? Take actions toward that - like only allowing the Bahasa Kebangsaan and English (as second language) in all public displays, advertisements, official businesses etc and make the Dewan Bahasa Pustaka as the respected Bahasa Melayu bearer in this world. The CIMB Chairman said this:-

“CIMB firmly advanced meritocracy,” he said. “we consciously encouraged a multiracial environment. we banned the use of any language other than English and Bahasa Malaysia. we intervened to create multiracial teams. we encouraged a debate culture.”

You can do much better as the Prime Minister of this country, can't you?

For those who call themselves Malaysians, there is no excuse not to be fluent in Bahasa Melayu. It is in the Constitution! It is in The Language Act! If you are fluent, have some sense of politeness. Do not speak the language most people dont understand in public, here in Malaysia. Have some manners. It is "biadap" to behave this way in public, not only here, but elsewhere in other nations too.