Mr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said employees in the private sector used English 99 per cent of the time and should switch to Bahasa Malaysia in order to show pride in the national language, the New Straits Times reported. — PHOTO: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR – MALAYSIA’S deputy education minister has said that speaking English in the workplace is ‘weird’ and harmful to the nation’s culture and identity, a report said on Wednesday.

Mr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said employees in the private sector used English 99 per cent of the time and should switch to Bahasa Malaysia in order to show pride in the national language, the New Straits Times reported.

‘This also occurs in government-linked companies where we have this weird culture of people speaking to each other in English instead of the national language,’ he said at the launch of a linguistics seminar. ‘We are polluting our own culture and identity as a nation,’ he said.

‘It would be difficult to strengthen the position of Bahasa Malaysia if this culture continued,’ he added, urging Malaysians to emulate the French, Japanese and Koreans, who stuck to their own language.

The New Straits Times said Mr Mohd Puad also criticised young people for using a mix of English and Bahasa Malaysia in SMS text messages and on the Internet.

He called on the nation’s leaders to use Bahasa Malaysia for all meetings and events and said that when he receives letters in English he returns them and asks for them to be written in the national language. — AFP

THIS IS MY POINT OF VIEW

So what do you think? Is this some kind of a joke or a serious piece of mind from the deputy education minister? Could this be the reason behind the short lived method of teaching Math and Science in English at school? To preserve the Bahasa Malaysia. Does English pollutes Malaysian’s very own culture and identity?

Firstly, Bahasa Malaysia has been our very own Malaysian language for more than 40 years ever since it was formed. I am very sure the language itself has a very strong place in every single Malaysian already. And I am proud of it.  It is a unique language for sure and easy to learn as well. However, only  for those who are interested.

Second, the usage of English widely in private and government link sectors are not an issue at all. If you would, blame the education system. Do we have enough source of reference in Bahasa during college and university? My own experience told me there were not. Yes we do have plenty of them out there but they were only as good when you are still in study not when you go out into the reality. For someone in the tourism industry like me, English has been the best way of communicating with others. For those working in any foreign company in Malaysia, they have to speak in English.

The minister must have forgotten that English had been recognized as the second language in Malaysia for years. I wonder what happened to the English speaking campaign. I wonder if he will actually return any letters written in English just to be rewritten in Bahasa even if it is an official letter. Maybe he might ask me to re-post my blog in Bahasa too.

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