I, for one, would be one of those who will give "Defiant" Uncle Koon, the time of day because I am in agreement with his cynical reaction to PMX directive to government departments not to entertain any letters that are not written in Bahasa....but I must confess that I will do so for selfish reasons...for you see guys, I cannot write any letter in Bahasa even if my life depended on it! At 75, after a lifetime of English in school, English at home and English every else....to my shame, I am a confirmed "English speaking" Malay.
Why "to my shame"? Let me story you.
As Mahatma Ghandi once said "It is a matter of deep humiliation and shame for us that I am compelled, this evening, under the shadow of this great college, in this sacred city, to address my countrymen in a language that is foreign to me"
Of course to know, speak and write in English, is an advantage when you live in a world where around 1.5 billion people worldwide speak English either natively or as a second language BUT English is a foreign language for Malaysians.
When you live abroad, as I do, every time I am in the presence of Indonesians, I am simply blown away at how they talk to each other in their lingua franca : Bahasa Indonesian : when you hear them do that you know they are all Indonesians and are proud of being Indonesians.
And how do we Malaysians talk? In the usual Malaysian way...a bit of this and a bit of that...and how we talk is how we are in Malaysia today...divided and unsure of who we are...at all levels...as this statement from the Sarawak state secretary confirms.
You can argue that our Bahasa is not yet ready to take the place of English. You can excuse yourself by saying that having used English all your life, you cannot be expected to write letters in Bahasa....and there are a hundred and one reasons why English is better than Bahasa....but for me....all those arguments can be thrown out of the window because you have to agree with Mahatma Ghandi that "Our language (are) the reflection of. ourselves".....and to make Bahasa into that language that will hold us all together, we will have to start somewhere. Enough said.
Indonesia does not recognise malay as a language. To them its bahasa indonesia.
The indonesian nationalist have butchered mostly malay monarchy not just in sumatra, but in kalimantan too for fear they may take their territory out of indonesia. So nobody in indonesia identify themselves as malays for a very long time for fear of being eliminated. Only now remnants are coming out about being malay.
We in Malaysia are not told about this in history so when ismail sabri suggested using bahasa melayu as asean official language, it ignited a fuze. Malayness is very very senstive issue in indonesia.
Foreign investor will just walk down south if their letters in english returned.
In europe or china, english is already…
Ya Bahasa(jenis) JIWA Bangsa(siapa) 😇😇
Harry Lee proved when non circumcised speaks more eloquent and fluent than no foreskin they shift goal post...Anyway Bahasa is just pasar (tani/pagi/malam) guna ☕️☕️☕️
Still dont know why dont recognise UEC (world class) ??? 🫠🫠🤣🤣
Agree and support the emphasis on using Bahasa Melayu in govermental matters. But this does need not be carried out in a rigid manner by rejecting letter written in English. At least request for dual language with maybe English as the reference of intent for those not proficient in BM. As the proficiency in BM improves over time, the need for English in governmental correspondence would naturally cease.
Why are we forcing others to do what we think is right? Can't we accept one another just as we are? Human learning is according to self-interest, and the surrounding environment happens to be placed or chosen. There is a limitation of how much one can learn, and most go for the more adaptable ones. This directive of submitting letters to government offices in a set language is unreasonable. Just like if one dont dress according to the "acceptable rules", one is not allowed to enter the hospital or police station, even in an emergency. Are we sensitive to those who are weak in that set language? Our government promote sensitivity, but it's always one-sided, the side of the privileged…
Who else should be fluent in a language if not its own citizens? While PMX's words might sound harsh, it reflects the reality on the ground.
I have witnessed graduates struggling to construct a sentence in the national language, despite not excelling in other languages either.
Ultimately, it comes down to education. Children should be proficient in both languages, or even more if possible. Being multilingual is an asset; it allows you to communicate effectively and explore diverse cultures.
We need our citizens to take pride in their abilities, whether in professional fields, sports, music, or other activities. Strive to be excellent, embracing the concept of being a polymath, excelling in various domains.