Are Rais and Nazri barking up the wrong tree?

So Senate president Rais Yatim has whacked local English place names such as Ukay Heights and Ainsdale as "disgusting". And he then subtly racialised the issue by likening it to local Chinese adopting English names.

Rais (photo above, right) was adding to Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz's recent remarks in Parliament that Kuala Lumpur has “lost its identity” as more areas and buildings have adopted English names – Hampshire Residences, Pavilion KL, Quill City and MyTown. Was Nazri implying that it is private (non-Malay?) developers who have been less enthusiastic, or patriotic, about the Malay language?

Are these two politicians playing language politics to score popularity points? Well, well, well… perhaps both of them should first ask why the Umno-led national government (which they have both been part of) named two key places in Kuala Lumpur as KL Sentral and KL City Centre? And why is Putrajaya trying to imitate New York City by calling its areas “Presint”?

I have long been sad to see the dilution of Bahasa Malaysia (BM). I grew up learning Ilmu Alam and Ilmu Hisab in school, only to later see the authorities change them to Geografi and Matematik. Perusahaan captured the “usaha” (effort) of factory production, but no, it was junked for industri, another pseudo-English word.

In other words, from a young age, I was being told that the Mat Salleh language was somehow a better symbol of progress than Malay.

Malay words 'tak glamour'?

It has gotten worse since. In Shah Alam, the most “Malay city” of Selangor, there are big road signs for “Dewan Bankuet MBSA”, “Auditorium MBSA” and “Galeri Shah Alam”.

 Surely there are perfectly suitable Malay words for all these? Why not Dewan Jamuan MBSA, Panggung MBSA and Balai Seni Shah Alam?

Ah, perhaps these Malay words are seen as “too kampung” and somehow “tak glamour”? Maybe the city authorities have decided that pirated English words seem more swanky and classy. Or to use the Malay phrase, “baru ada standard” – never mind that it’s not “ori” (original).

Nowadays, the adoption of English into BM has gone way overboard. For example, this newspaper fashion article packs in words such as kontemporari, karakter, sofistikated, individualiti, ekspresi and even the mouthful of bereksperimantasi!

Local authorities charge a “fi” (fee) for certain services. I was really shocked to see that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) gives out “Lesen Establisymen Makanan”!

Have the authorities lost their “minda”? Yes, even the word for “mind” has been copied! I am sorry, but this excessive hanging onto the coattails of English to look more kontemporari or sofistikated perhaps reflects a certain insecurity about one’s own language.

So, rather than trying to deflect the issue to Malaysian Chinese or private developers taking on English names, both Rais and Nazri must first ask why the media - and the authorities themselves - have been polluting our National Language.

Is it because the supposed guardian of BM, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), has been lazily adopting words from the British colonisers to make the language more “posh”? (Don’t forget that our local elites love shopping in London). Why, perhaps DBP itself may soon be “upgraded” to Auditorium Linguistik Nasional!

Malay should be more Malay!

This was not how things were in earlier days when more effort was taken to create new Malay words to describe modern stuff. Hence, “pawagam” (panggung wayang gambar) rather than cinema and “tadika” (taman didikan kanak-kanak) instead of kindergarten.

For me, the classic example to name new technology is “keretapi” (train), which aptly pictures a “car running on fire”. Sadly, the current BM word used is… “tren”. Where is the pride in the Malay language, lah?

DBP should be working harder to combine ideas to come up with new words, which is the approach that the Chinese language has taken. For example, in Mandarin, the ideas for electricity (“dian”) and brain (“nao”) are combined into “dian nao” (computer).

If a similar approach had been adopted for the Malay language, we may perhaps have had “otak kilat” or “okil” (lightning brain) for computer and “penangkap gambar” or “pengam” (picture catcher) for the camera. This, I feel, would better reflect linguistic independence and innovation, rather than simply swallowing “komputer” and “kamera”.

DBP has made some belated attempts, for example when something goes "viral" on the net, they recommend using the word "tular" instead. Anything that's "trending" online should be "sohor kini" while "post mortems" should be replaced with "pasca nilai".

But these are like small, inadequate attempts to stop a rising tide, as traders still want to advertise their products as "ayam goreng viral" while politicians simply love their "post mortems" after election defeats! 

How do Rais and Nazri expect to cultivate greater respect for BM when the authorities, and indeed society itself, have been watering down the language for decades?

Forgive me for criticising those responsible for our national language. But I do it because I feel Malay should be more Malay! But please, not a cheapened, rojak version of Bahasa British.

Worship the West?

But let’s be honest, all Malaysians regard Western things as somehow “superior” and “trendy”. Which is why Burger King will probably not be renamed Raja Roti Berdaging anytime soon.

A Hermes Birkin handbag

Rais bashed Ainsdale, but this is a property project of government-controlled Sime Darby. Will Rais also ask that this former British company be relaunched with a more Malay name?

Similarly, why wasn’t the name Pusat Perniagaan Tun Razak chosen? No, our leaders decided on Tun Razak Exchange instead. Baru nampak WORLD sikit lah...

Perhaps the example was set by Umno itself when it chose to use its English acronym for United Malays National Organisation rather than its proper Malay name Persatuan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu? 

Nazri himself should ask why his Malay wife has relocated to ooh-la-la Paris. And how many of the political elite send their children to private schools or overseas where the “disgusting” (to use Rais’ word) colonial language reigns?

The ultimate trendsetter in the worship of things Western goes all the way to the top. Yes, I am referring to a certain politician’s wife who seems obsessed with ridiculously expensive Hermes Birkin handbags…

The problem with (alleged) corruption is that it weakens belief in our own abilities and strength to build a great country, and we then instead take the easy way out, relying on crutches of foreign words and brands to prop up our fragile self-esteem. This is a national mindset issue.

Language politics

While Rais and Nazri wave their flags of linguistic nationalism, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob recently criticised private and government bodies for using English rather than Malay. This smells like a coordinated political effort.

Why now? I would like to believe that the PM is sincerely trying to promote BM. But I also wonder, is he harping on an old, fossilised issue to paint himself as a nationalist? Before double elections for Umno and the country?

Are they all trying to divert attention from much more serious issues about our struggling economy, soaring prices of goods and corruption? Are they trying to deflect concerns about the serious cracks in the government between Bersatu-PAS versus Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Umno faction?

So please, enough of wayang kulit distraction tactics. English names for local places are just a minor issue. And dear Rais, please stop racialising it by pointing to local Chinese like me taking on English names. Instead, examine the decades-long weaknesses of the government (which you were part of) to maintain the purity of BM.

What’s more important is how the authorities can help develop genuine national self-confidence. So that we stop glorifying foreign stuff (like luxury cars and handbags), which is then reflected in the wholesale importing of Mat Salleh words into the Malay language.

So, enough of posturing and language politics. And get to work making the Malay language more Malay. - Mkini

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ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.