THE Cabinet has stepped in to resolve the controversy over the decision to relax the Bahasa Melayu requirement for Grade UD41 contract house/medical officers.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today the issue needs to be addressed at it had not only become polemic among defenders of the Malay language but also to prevent any controversy “that could be exploited by those who are anti-establishment.”

The Public Services Department (PSD) yesterday decided to relax the requirement to the minimum pass for Bahasa Melayu at Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia’s (SPM) level for the Grade UD41 officers.

Zahid said Health Minister Dr S. Subramaniam and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the PSD, Datuk Joseph Entulu, will brief the Cabinet at its weekly meeting on Wednesday.

“We do not need controversial issues. To me, this should be handled with openness and clarity,” Zahid said after a Gawai visit to the home of Sarawak Deputy Chief Douglas Uggah in Tabuan Jaya.

He said even though the government had a language proficiency requirement for civil servants, he was made to understand the requirement was eased for the Grade UD41 officers was relaxed because they were only on contract.

“A pass in Bahasa Melayu has always been a must for any officer who wants to work with the government.

“But in this case, it is not permanent employment but a contract… maybe some relaxation is being given. So we’ll listen to what they have to say,” Zahid said.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement yesterday, said the PSD had relaxed the requirement, prompting immediate reaction from language nationalists.

The Umno Overseas Clubs Alumni has joined Malay non-governmental organisations like the Pertubuhan Warisan Melayu Johor in opposing the relaxation.

The alumni said the government should find a mechanism to improve Bahasa Melayu proficiency among civil servants, rather than relaxing the recruitment.

Pertubuhan Warisan Melayu Johor said the relaxation violated Article 152 of the Federal Constitution on the sovereignty of Bahasa Melayu as the national language. – July 3, 2017.