By: Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli
RECENTLY Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad stated that some shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur displayed ‘Chinese and English only signboards’ that made him feel ‘as if he was not in Malaysia’. Tun’s statement was then reprimanded by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture – as it would affect the country’s diversity and tourism industry.
This issue was later debated in the Dewan Rakyat by the Member of Parliament of Masjid
Tanah, Datuk Wira Mas Ermieyati Binti Samsudin. She was interjected by two other MPs
who were indirectly against what she was arguing i.e. to enhance the usage of the Malay
language as the national language of Malaysia.
Article 152 of the Federal Constitution states clearly that Malay is the national language of
the Federation. In addition, it is mandated by the by-law of the City Council of Kuala Lumpur that the Malay language be given priority over other languages on signboards.
Clearly, the Minister of Tourism and the two other MPs did not understand the issue at hand.
This is not about racism or disallowing the usage of Chinese or Tamil languages on
signboards, but simply to preserve the reputable status of the national language in Malaysia. Unlike Singapore where Malay has an equal status with Mandarin, Tamil and English as the official language, the Constitution stipulates that the national language of Malaysia is Malay.
This means Malay possesses a dignified status as the national language as against other
languages in Malaysia. This, however, does not in any way, prohibit Malaysians from using
languages other than Malay.
Rather than ‘spitting in the ocean’ or ‘nailing jelly to a wall’, these politicians should reflect
on themselves realising that they are not just Malaysian citizens, but also Malaysian MPs.
Therefore, it is their constitutional duty to uphold the sanctity of Malay as the national
language, not to argue against it instead.
It is utterly shameful for an MP to speak broken Malay or with an unacceptable cringy accent in the Dewan Rakyat. For instance, there was an MP who pronounced ‘Masjid Tanah’ as ‘Masjid Ta-ne’, indicating an atrocious command of the Malay language. There was also an incident where an MP refused to speak Malay but instead insisted on speaking in English in the Dewan Rakyat. Be that as it may, his or her command of the language was not up to the standards of ‘the Queen’s English’ anyway.
The inability to master and respect the national language after more than six decades of
independence is not a failure of the nation. Rather, it displays the failure of that particular
individual to embrace the very soul and identity of this proud country.
Unlike some Malaysian MPs, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lawrence Wong proudly
made an effort to brush up on his skills in the Malay language. Consequently, MPs by right, should be made to go through a stringent Malay language test to uphold the prominence and prestige of the Dewan Rakyat.
The issue is simple – Malay first, other languages second.
Dr. Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli is associate professor at the Faculty of Syariah and law,
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and a research associate at the Asian Institute of
International Affairs and Diplomacy (AIIAD), Universiti Utara Malaysia.
