MCA yesterday said there were indications of “little Napoleons” within the unity government which must be contained.
Its national youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung said such unhealthy practices are growing increasingly serious, and Putrajaya must take a clear stance to contain their spread.
She said this concerning a recent episode involving non-Malay-speaking foreigners being instructed by Road Transport Department (JPJ) officers to communicate in Bahasa Melayu (BM) when renewing their driving licences.
“MCA Youth respects and upholds Bahasa Melayu as the national language of our country. However, JPJ, a major agency under the Ministry of Transport (MoT), is responsible for providing over-the-counter services to motor vehicle owners. JPJ is not an examining board to test and appraise the BM proficiency of members of the public.
“Why do JPJ officers make it a requirement for their clients to have BM skills? Does the unity government intend to turn every JPJ counter into an SPM BM examination room?
“Or does the MoT assume that communicating in BM is mandatory to drive a vehicle?
“Really, what are the JPJ officers up to? Are they government officers or examiners of the SPM BM subject?” she asked.
She said the unity government should not repeatedly allow these “little Napoleons” to run wild without restrictions.
She said to date, there does not seem to be any clear guidelines as to which factors are considered a “violation”.
“It is confusing nowadays that when one visits any government department to renew documents, the civil servants would require a conversational BM qualification.
“The government must take a clear stance to avoid similar incidents. The unity government also needs to provide an effective platform for the public to lodge complaints so that the rakyat has a channel to raise their grievances against ‘little Napoleons.’
“Otherwise, some civil servants may simply cook up any justification to make matters bureaucratic for the public over and over again, thereby tarnishing the reputation of the Malaysia Madani unity government,” she added. – The Vibes, December 2, 2023
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