DPM: Worries over decline in Bahasa Malaysia

It's one's choice which language he or she prefers. Yes, English is the language of Money & The Corporate Sector needs English. At the end of the day, it's a matter of circumstance and choice. On the other hand, if a politican goes on speaking in BM, it gives the image of lack of exposure, lack of education & serious issues with bilateral relations. So what's with the Communism Mr.DPM?

TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that many Malaysians appear to be ashamed of speaking Bahasa Malaysia so much so that the national language seems to be marginalised in the country.

The deputy prime minister said this was not the case in countries like China and Japan where people were proud of their own languages, using them at all levels. "There's a worry that our national language may be sidelined as people prefer to use English.

"When I was in China, everybody there spoke in Mandarin. People in Japan also speak their own language. They will only resort to English when they want to speak to you personally. "I think that it boils down to attitude. Perhaps using a language other than English is not that glamorous, as if Bahasa Malaysia is a low-class language," he said in response to a question from Senator Datuk Dr Firdaus Abdullah on the declining usage of the national language, at the Dewan Negara sitting here yesterday.

Muhyiddin, who is education minister, said people seemed to miss the point that the Malay language continued to be among the more prominent languages in the world, and spoken by more people globally than certain other languages. He observed that English seemed to be the preferred language at many public and private sector events, including government functions.

The deputy prime minister also took a swipe at event organisers who chose English over Bahasa Malaysia at functions where "only two or three Westerners" were present. He wondered whether the use of Bahasa Malaysia would translate into less customers and dwindling profits for companies. Muhyiddin said that a special committee had been set up to look at how to restore the national language to its proper place.

He pointed out that legislation to promote the use of Bahasa Malaysia had been put in place, but people might accuse the government of being inconsiderate if action was taken against those who flouted such laws. A new circular stressing on the importance of using the national language at all levels would be issued to all government departments, he said. Muhyiddin added that awareness campaigns focusing on the need to use Bahasa Malaysia would continue. -- BernamaRead