KUCHING, Oct 29: The Malay language as an official tool of communication is, at best, not 100 per cent committed from many parties, and acceptance is lukewarm from men on the street to people in institutions of higher learning as well as in Parliament.
In pointing this out, political scientist Prof Dr Jayum Jawan of Universiti Putra Malaysia said on the streets, it is the ‘market’ (pasar) Malay that is being used, and on television, local dramas and movies, sometimes the speakers ‘murder’ the Malay language by having one sentence oscillating between Malay, English, and whatever in between.
“In universities, there is also a lack of commitment; meetings are conducted in ‘rojak’ (mixed) language,” he said in a statement today.
Jayum said the Malay language was argued as the language of technology, but important lectures such as inaugural addresses by professors have mostly been delivered in English, as high as 95 per cent in certain public universities, and in Parliament, it is appealing to hear to speeches in broken and ‘market Malay’.
As such, he also said that national consultation and national reconciliation are needed and must involve all major stakeholders because many current policies are or have been decided singularly and do not reflect the multi-ethnic character of the country and, least of all, civilising or being or having values of ‘Madani’.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and those who come after him need to understand that if the national leader is to hold and strengthen unity, moving a united Malaysia forward,” he added.
He said the Prime Minister must also read the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) closely because Sarawak is ‘independent’ and has autonomy, and some provisions are enumerated in MA63.
“The region and its leaders were the first to respond to that call by suggesting that Sarawak will continue to use English alongside Malay. The Sarawak government will, according to its leadership, continue to entertain letters in English, contrary to the directive of the Prime Minister.
“It is also clear that while the Federal Constitution acknowledges Malay to be ‘the’ national language, other languages, especially of indigenous languages in Sarawak and Sabah, are also Malaysian languages recognised and guarded by the law of the land.” — DayakDaily
