There is a Malaysian proverb that says, "You can take the Malay out of the kampung (village), but you cannot take the kampung out of the Malay."
There is also an ancient Chinese proverb that says, 'To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.'
In modern-day Malaysia, many insecure race supremacist types would rather cart their tempurung (coconut shell) with them, including when they travel overseas.
Last month's decision by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob whereby government representatives must use Bahasa Malaysia (BM) in international meetings is a regressive step. Did he and his cabinet think about the consequences of this decision?
No one is suggesting BM be downplayed, but we are living in a world where if you fail to catch up with the rest, you will be left behind. So, what are Ismail Sabri's plans for Malaysians to master the English language?
In all his decades as a politician, was empowering the national language perhaps the most important decision he has had to make in his political career?
This political move will prove to be costly. Why sacrifice our children's future just to satisfy his ego?
The Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacist) syndrome has a paralytic effect on the brain. On Facebook, Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah looked extremely pleased with himself for elevating the national language to the international arena in accordance with Ismail Sabri's wishes.
He beamed with pride as he posed with an official letter in Malay to the United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Are we supposed to break out in applause?
You do not impress with your superior knowledge of Malay. You show your superiority by proving to the Westerner you are equal or better than him in his own language.
All we want to know is whether our children's education will enable them to grow up and be confident using English in the international arena. Not just in academia, but also in industry, the arts, commerce, sport, and diplomacy.
Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia?
However, one confusion must first be resolved. Is it Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia that Ismail Sabri wants to promote? In some newspapers, he was quoted as promoting Bahasa Melayu. In others, it was Bahasa Malaysia. So which is it?
Bahasa Malaysia will identify with all Malaysians, whereas the use of Bahasa Melayu will exclude the non-Malays and will not promote unity and a Malaysian identity.
Did Ismail Sabri discuss the decision to empower the national language with members of the foreign service? Did they tell him the pitfalls?
Or were members of the diplomatic service more anxious about protecting their periuk nasi (livelihoods)?
Many of my friends and relatives in the foreign and diplomatic service disagree with Ismail Sabri's decision. They asked about funding. Translators are expensive to train. Training takes time. Money is also needed to translate manuals and documents.
The shortage of translators forced certain departments to use foreign translators or even Google Translate. One translator who translated French documents for the Defence Ministry ended up being blown to bits.
If Wisma Putra is seriously underfunded, will Ismail Sabri claw back some of the billions of ringgit allocated for the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and divert them to the foreign service?
Malaysians living and working overseas wade through mountains of Manglish when they access the websites of the Malaysian high commissions or embassies. Will a professional translator work on these government websites?
Waste of time and money
Ismail Sabri may boast that the PAS Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, successfully delivered his speech in Malay during the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland last year.
That trip was a waste of time and money. Only six official languages were recognised for translation at this conference, so did anyone understand what Tuan Ibrahim was saying? BM was not on the list.
Tuan Ibrahim's visit was probably a last-minute decision. He had an important PAS assembly meeting to attend and days before the Glasgow conference officially opened, Malaysians criticised him for not representing Malaysia.
Although a senior Malaysian scientist had been sent to represent Malaysia, Tuan Ibrahim could not resist travelling to Glasgow after all.
Many people praised him for delivering his speech in Malay. Words such as 'brave', 'courageous', and 'flying the flag for Malaysia' were used.
The pathetic thing was that none of the nationalists had analysed the contents of his speech about halting climate change. The focus should have been on the environment, and not on whether he spoke in BM or English.
The irony about Tuan Ibrahim's trip was that he flew 10,000km to Glasgow just to deliver his five-minute speech in Malay. Why did he ignore his carbon footprint? Or does he actually think that delivering his speech via video has a much worse impact on the climate?
To make matters worse, he presumably had a sizeable entourage to accompany him to Scotland. Have we so much money to burn?
This emphasis on all things Malay is getting out of hand. If Ismail Sabri wants to make a difference and create a bigger impact on the world stage, he and his cabinet should be looking to overhaul the whole education system.
Our children deserve better. Nationalist sentiments should not override global aspirations. - FMT
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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