Sorry, why don’t we just mind our language

 

Malaysians of a certain age will remember the British sitcom “Mind Your Language”. It was about a language teacher who tries to teach English to a merry band of misfit immigrants.

It seemed hilarious at that time because the actors had ridiculously stereotypical English.

Nowadays, when I come across snippets of the show, it doesn’t seem as funny as I remembered. Maybe I have had the humour knocked out of me with ‘political correctness’ and the general ‘wokeness’ that is all pervasive.

I was reminded of that television show when recently our Prime Minister clarified that he would propose to Asean leaders that the Malay language or ‘Bahasa Melayu’ be made the official language for the regional grouping.

He had to clarify, because originally it was reported that our prime minister wanted the Malaysian language or ‘Bahasa Malaysia’ to be advocated as the language for the group.

This drew an irritated response from our neighbour Indonesia. Their education minister reportedly said that ‘Bahasa Indonesia’ was a better option to be used as the main language for Asean because it was more widely used.

Now, while all this was happening on a regional scale, in Malaysia our intelligentsia started having discussions about the pros and cons of promoting the Malay language within the country.

The debate also came on the back of our prime minister declaring that government officials were only to speak Bahasa Malaysia when representing the country at functions overseas.

He argued that all the available modern gadgets would allow languages to be translated in real time without any delay. And that there is no reason for us to feel awkward speaking in Bahasa Malaysia overseas, when others are proud of using their national languages.

When I think about this, I tend to agree with our prime minister.

You would have noticed that most European national leaders like those of France and Germany, while being fluent in English, still deliver their official international speeches in their native language. The same goes for regional leaders from Indonesia and India.

But some people argue that this move would be counter-productive for the country.

They say that for competitiveness in a globalised economy, English should be promoted and pushed in Malaysia more pointedly. For Malaysians to be able to work in international organisations, and be employable for the companies whose foreign direct investments (FDI) we so covet, some commentators contend that our workforce should be proficient in English.

And, I find myself agreeing with this view too that English is vital for our citizens to be able to communicate and express themselves properly in what is the globally accepted language.

I reckon the problem is that the issue has been corrupted into a zero-sum game. Politicians, for their agenda simplify it to an argument of either promoting our national language or emphasising English.

But the question is why would Bahasa Malaysia be relegated into second place, if Malaysia pushes for English to be promoted too? Our national language is just that – ‘national’, and will always remain so.

Every Malaysian citizen should speak, read and write Bahasa Malaysia to an acceptable standard.

We can forgive the ‘baby boomer’ generation for their lack of ability in Bahasa Malaysia, because their medium of instruction at school was English. But for the rest of our generations who went to school over the last 50 years, we studied in Bahasa Malaysia, and should be fluent in it.

I was born in 1971, making me firmly a ‘Gen-Xer’. I speak, read, and write fairly fluent Bahasa Malaysia. But I can also hold my own in English, and my native-Tamil (albeit with wonky spelling and writing). I am now even attempting to learn German on account of wanting to know what my wife says, when she complains about me in her native language.

For those who put English up on a pedestal and relegate Bahasa Malaysia to a lesser position, I think they should be proper Malaysian citizens who are proud of our national language.

For those ultra-nationalists who make our national language an issue of race and culture, I think they should drop it down a notch and realise that the standard of English of many local university/college leavers is totally atrocious.

This is not about race or culture. It is about being able to compete in the global arena.

I believe our prime minister, ministers, and high-ranking officials should proudly speak in Bahasa Malaysia when representing the country internationally.

But at the same time, if our prime minister, ministers, and officials are inept in English, they should set an example to the rest of the nation by brushing up, and getting their spoken English to satisfactory levels.

Speaking at international forums in our national language should be a source of pride for us. It should not be because when our officials speak in English, they become a national embarrassment.

Ultimately, Malaysian citizens just want our leaders to represent us globally with pride and with class. Therefore, everyone and their cat should just mind their language. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.