KUALA LUMPUR – United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not need a translator or Malay-English dictionary when he reads a letter from his Malaysian counterpart as he will also receive an attachment in English.
Clarifying his Facebook post yesterday, in which he said he had written a letter to Blinken in Bahasa Malaysia, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said today that it was accompanied by an attachment in English.
Emphasising the use of Bahasa Malaysia at official international functions and correspondences does not mean that the government is doing away with the use of English as the international language, the minister told The Vibes.
“In line with what the prime minister said in the Dewan Negara yesterday, Bahasa Malaysia will be used at international events.
“While official correspondences may be in Bahasa Malaysia, there will be a translated attachment in English or the official language of the said country.”
In his Facebook post yesterday, Saifuddin said: “Today, I have written an official letter in Bahasa Malaysia to the United States secretary of state.”
“It's the first official letter in Bahasa Malaysia from me to a counterpart, in line with the prime minister’s statement in the Dewan Negara yesterday.”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had told the upper House on Wednesday that he would confer with Asean leaders to propose the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the region’s second language.
He had also said efforts to use the national language will be continued in international meetings and conferences, whether bilateral or multilateral, within or outside the country as and when necessary.
Ismail Sabri had started using Bahasa Malaysia in several of his recent official visits, including to Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. – The Vibes, March 25, 2022
