Nothing wrong with Malay speech at conference, says PKR man

 

Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had been criticised on social media over his decision to speak in Bahasa Malaysia, with some saying it showed that he wasn’t fluent in English. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A PKR leader has come to the defence of Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man after the environment and water minister was criticised for delivering his speech in Bahasa Malaysia at an international conference in Scotland.

Wong Chen said he did not see “what the contentious issue is about”.

He said he had advised Tuan Ibrahim to speak in the national language if the latter was uncomfortable speaking in English.

This was because the speech at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP26 had to be technical, accurate and with little room for mistakes.

“The speech must be delivered with confidence and at the comfort level of the minister,” he said in a Facebook post.

The Subang MP pointed out that like all major international conferences, COP26 provided professional translation services.

“In fact, the vast majority of international speeches are made in languages other than English.”

It was earlier reported that some social media users had criticised Tuan Ibrahim’s decision to speak in Bahasa Malaysia, saying it showed that he wasn’t fluent in English.

Others, meanwhile, praised the minister for delivering his speech in the national language. - FMT