KUALA LUMPUR – Emotions ran high in the Dewan Rakyat today as lawmakers traded barbs over the usage of Bahasa Malaysia by government officials assigned to tasks overseas.
Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (Sepang-PH) first raised the matter by asking whether government officials have mastered the English language prior to being assigned overseas.
“Recently, we saw a minister give a speech in Bahasa Malaysia at an event in Glasgow, Scotland.
“I have no problem with him speaking in Bahasa Malaysia, it is his right to do so.
“But his action was portrayed as him attempting to elevate our national language on a global level.
“Is this really the case, or was the incident ‘spinned’ because he lacks the skills to speak English?
“Just be honest, if you are inept, we can send you for language courses,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during the debate session today.
In response, an irked Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (Sik-PAS) demanded to know if the Sepang MP was implying that foreign languages are of a higher status than the national tongue.
“Do you think that we are unqualified to speak and uphold our national language on an international platform?”
In a jest the Sepang MP replied: “There’s no need to answer my question since you don’t understand it.”
His response caused Tarmizi to have an outburst, shouting: “Apa yang tak faham? (What is it that I do not understand?)”
Refusing to let the matter go, Hanipa queried if the Sik MP did not understand him because he was speaking in Bahasa Malaysia.
“Shall I speak in English?” he asked and was greeted by laughter from other members of the Dewan Rakyat before moving on to another issue.
During the recent 26th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was held from October 31 to November 12, Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had delivered his speech in Bahasa Malaysia.
His bold decision received mixed reactions from the public, with some praising him for upholding the national language at an international conference, while others criticised the minister’s apparent inability to deliver a speech in English. – The Vibes, November 23, 2021
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