JUST a few days ago, a woman was ticked off by Road Transport Department (RTD) officers as she was purportedly not fluent in Bahasa Melayu, and more recently a woman was allegedly mistreated at the Johor UTC for her inability to speak the national language.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail argued that Malaysians should be expected to be proficient in the language as it is a requirement under the Federal Constitution.
According to him, this requirement is non-negotiable and if one cannot understand the local language, then the person is not eligible for service.
This issue has been actively debated on social media. Malaysians have found themselves divided over the matter, with some in full support of Saifuddin and others not seeing the rationale in treating the people thus.
Several internet users said this is a fair requirement considering we live in Malaysia and BM is the national language.
“I don’t understand what the fuss is all about. We are called Malaysians, so what is the issue about being able to speak Bahasa Melayu?
“Even in other countries, their citizens are expected to know their national language,” read one comment.
Another social media user pointed out that Bahasa Melayu is taught in schools since the primary level, so it is expected that everyone would be able to speak and understand it.
“We must be proud of our national language, and as Malaysians, we should all be able to speak and understand it.
“Even foreigners who work here speak Bahasa Melayu,” he said.
MCA youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung recently criticised RTD officers for instructing non-Malay-speaking foreigners to communicate in BM when renewing their driving licences.
She said the unity government should not repeatedly allow these “little Napoleons” to run wild without restrictions.
She cautioned that some civil servants may simply cook up any justification to make matters bureaucratic for the public over and over again.
“MCA youth respects and upholds Bahasa Melayu as the national language of our country,” she said.
“However, RTD a major agency under the Transport Ministry, is responsible for providing over-the-counter services to motor vehicle owners. RTD is not an examining board to test and appraise the BM proficiency of members of the public.
Right to travel infringed
Some internet users took offence at Saifuddin’s statement when he said it was non-negotiable.
“What does he mean by that it’s non-negotiable? What about someone who did not even go to school and can only speak his mother tongue? Should we deny him the right to travel?” asked one user.
There were even those who claimed that Saifuddin was merely out to gain political mileage for himself.
“Many Malaysian children these days live and study overseas. So, what do we do with these kinds of cases?” asked another.
One social media user said it was discriminatory to deny a person his or her right to travel just because of language barriers.
Some also pointed out that contrary to what Saifuddin said, there is no legal requirement for a passport applicant to be able to speak Bahasa Melayu.
“There is also no such thing stated anywhere on the Immigration Department website,” said the user. – The Vibes, December 6, 2023.
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