KUCHING, Oct 28: Chong Chieng Jen has urged Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ministers to stand up for the rights of common Sarawakians to use the English language in their correspondence with the Federal ministries and departments rather than just bragging about the State government’s entitlement on the matter.
Chong, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman, questioned the silence of the five ministers and six deputy ministers from GPS in the Federal on this critical matter.
He also criticised the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) for only asserting the rights of the Sarawak government to use English in official communication but neglecting the fundamental rights of the people to do the same with federal government entities.
“This is a reflection of a myopic and selfish political party which ignores the rights of the common people of Sarawak.
“As one of the official languages in Sarawak, all Sarawakians, including the private and business sectors, have the right to use the English language in their correspondence, including those correspondence with the Federal ministries and departments,” he said in a statement today.
Joining the chorus in disapproving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent directive that government departments should return all letters not written in the national language of Bahasa Malaysia, the Stampin MP described the move as a regressive policy.
In a time when Malaysia endeavours to open up its economy and attract more foreign investors, Chong contended that such a policy from the No.1 man of the country would not augur well with the business sector.
“Will the letters from all the multi-national companies, like the likes of Tesla, Amazon, Intel, BYD, and Infineon, be thrown away by MITI (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry), MOF (Ministry of Finance), and other government agencies if they were written in the English language?” he questioned.
More importantly, from Sarawak’s perspective, Chong stressed that such a policy is a denial of the rights of ordinary Sarawakians under the Malaysia Agreement 963 (MA63) to use the English language as one of its official languages.
“Therefore, I urge that the GPS ministers defend the rights of common Sarawakians to use the English language in their correspondence with all the federal ministries and departments,” he added. — DayakDaily
