Being Malaysian means that we are so fortunate to be able to experience the diverse melting pot of cultures we have here. We get to experience a vast array of yummy food, celebrate all the different holidays and most of us can even speak at least two or three languages!
Source: Facebook
Of course, we all know that Bahasa Melayu is the national language but we still learn other languages in school and at home! Just recently, this issue became hotly debated after Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was accused by Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters of undermining the national language.
What did he do though? Lim had apparently issued a statement regarding the Tun Razak Exchange issue on Thursday (June 21) but in three different languages – Mandarin, English and Malay. However, the Facebook group, Friends of BN – Barisan Nasional picked up on the one in Mandarin and said, “Looks like Malaysians will have to start learning Mandarin under the Pakatan Harapan government. The national language is going extinct.”
Source: Facebook
Malaysians were quick to point out on the post that he had also issued statements in other languages so it shouldn’t be a problem as we are a multilingual country. Not long after that, on June 24, Lim made a statement to answer his critics on his Facebook page and defended his use of Mandarin in the Ministry of Finance’s statements.
The statement which was issued entirely in Mandarin explained that he was using the language as this was a reflection of the government’s recognition of multilingualism and globalisation.
Source: NST
“Under the Federal Constitution, no one is prevented from speaking, teaching, or learning other languages. In the spirit of the constitution, what is wrong with issuing a translated press release in Chinese or other languages?” asked Lim.
He also said that he translated the statement into Mandarin as he wanted to help Chinese media outlets have better access to the news. He said that he hopes BN would keep up with the times and advised them not to always use racial issues to gain support.
Source: Malaysian Chinese News
Lim said that he would not bow to these “racist accusations” and said, “I do not think that using another language undermines my love for Malaysia or affects the status of the national language. Instead, I think this can highlight the diversity of the country.”
“The new Malaysia is an inclusive, respectful and diverse country. While safeguarding the status of Malay as an official language, we also need to master the use of other languages in order to increase our competitiveness. The statement of the finance minister will continue to be published in Malay and English,” he said, noting that Chinese translations would be included where needed.
Source: Facebook
This new statement which was issued entirely in Mandarin was met with ire from various Malaysians as they felt that Lim was only targeting Mandarin speakers. One Facebook user said, “We’re Malaysians, so for any statements, BM should be primary, followed by English.” Others said that as Finance Minister, he should be considerate of other Malaysians who did not necessarily understand Mandarin and provide versions in other languages too.
Ameer Ali Mydin, who owns the Mydin hypermarket chain, also gave his opinion, saying, “All statements when released in Malaysia should first be in Bahasa Melayu, then English, then any other language (if) necessary. If you are in London, then I presume you will release it in English first then the translation can be (in) Bahasa/Mandarin/French etc. If you were in China, then at a press conference in China, release it in Mandarin first, then English etc. I would think that is more logical. We never had an issue before (in) the last 61 years, why create one now?”
What do you think of our Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s statement?
Also read: Mahathir: Civil Servants MUST Take English Language Competency Tests
