KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya should look into formulating a policy aimed at fostering better unity and harmony among Malaysians, said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim.
Even after more than 60 years since the formation of Malaysia, he said unity between races is lacking.
In his royal address during the opening of Parliament, he added that the current generation still struggles to master Bahasa Malaysia and understand the culture of other races.
“There is still a generation today that fails to grasp the national language and comprehend the cultures of other races.
“There is a Malay proverb, ‘kalau hendak melentur buluh, biarlah dari rebungnya’ – which means if we want a future generation that is united and understands each other, we must nurture these values from a young age,” Sultan Ibrahim said.
Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ordered that all official letters sent to government departments must be written in Malay, adding that letters that were not sent in the national language would be returned to the sender.
He also in the past called on Malaysians to focus on enhancing the quality and level of proficiency in Malay as a language of knowledge.
He added that achieving economic success would mean little if the national language, which was part of our culture, was not championed.
The issue of Bahasa Malaysia mastery reportedly resurfaced following an incident last year, where a woman and her daughter allegedly faced mistreatment at an immigration counter in Johor.
The incident occurred because the woman was unable to speak Malay while renewing her daughter’s passport.
It was reported that language constraints are some of the daily issues faced by staff at the counters of government agencies. There were also cases where interpreters were required.
Additionally, the use of the English language in official correspondence is still prevalent despite the government’s directive that all official letters should be written in Malay. – February 26, 2024