Stop questioning Bahasa Malaysia as national language, says Anwar

Zaim Ibrahim Zaim Ibrahim Updated 4 years ago · Published on 7 Sep 2019 11:30AM · 11 Comments

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim says the public should stop fighting about Bahasa Malaysia as the national language. – The Malaysia Insight pic, September 7, 2019.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim today urged the public to stop questioning the status of Bahasa Malaysia as it brings no benefit.

He said attacks against the language should not continue, instead strengthen it to help achieve success in technological fields.

“For me, what is important is the quality, not the rhetoric that is continuously taking place,” he said in Johor today.

“We must have quality in education, quality in the use of the language, in science, in technological aspects such as information technology… all of which will save our race.

“As such, we should stop the attacks on Bahasa Malaysia and strengthen it clearly. We then take steps to achieve success in other fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, and internet of things.

“These are all very important but we are still fighting over the national language.”

The Port Dickson MP added that he is not sidelining the importance of Bahasa Malaysia.

“It has been 62 years since we gained independence. We should not be debating about this issue. Our duty now is to strengthen the language.”

Anwar questioned why people are still questioning the status of Bahasa Malaysia, as it is already stated in the federal constitution.

Debate over the language came to the fore following objections to the inclusion of Jawi in the Year Four Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for vernacular schools. – September 7, 2019.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Nobody questions the National Language. Only the people want to use Jawi instead of national languages

    Posted 4 years ago by Penganalisa L · Reply

  • This so called PM-in-waiting is still talking nonsense about people questioning BM official status. Wake up and be a true statement; don't peddling falsehood.

    Posted 4 years ago by KS S · Reply

  • We are proud to be able to speak Bahasa Malaysia. The language is useful in this region. Our friends from overseas look at us feeling amazed because we are at least trilingual.

    Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Learning of ancient scripts should be left to the historians, archaeologists or calligraphers who find interest.

    Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • This DSAI or PM in waiting is himself starting a new issue that nobody had raised before - about questioning BM as the National language!!
    He should be reprimanded for doing so..

    OR is DSAI purposely fuelling discontent amongst the ppl so that more ppl will join the chatter and start a new issue... this would then create more problems and deepen the political divide between Dr Mahathir and the opposition BM/Umno, PAS, MCA, MIC.. maybe that is is game plan?

    Posted 4 years ago by Kampung Boy · Reply

  • Huh? Where did this come from? Who is questioning the status of BM? Can you be more specific?

    Posted 4 years ago by A Subscriber · Reply

  • What is this guy talking about? I don't think anyone is questioning our National Language but you are trying take shot at nothing to what? Making us feel restless again with your BM issue? Is this the way you want to talk without understand what people are querying. They are not interested in Jawi to be included in the BI lessons. This makes you to support Jawi to be taught in schools.

    Posted 4 years ago by Swaminaidu Venkatasamy · Reply

  • Nobody question the National Language except politicians. If only politicians stop talking about race and religion then Malaysia will have complete peace!

    Posted 4 years ago by Jordan Lee · Reply

  • I was about to ask the same question until i realized that many of them already asked the same question which was in my mind. Therefore, i have only one thing to say. I am a Malaysian.

    Posted 4 years ago by Raghu Thiyagarajan · Reply

  • With every statement he makes, Anwar shows himself to be less and less suitable to be PM. Now he has created an issue when none existed. It's high time he returned to cleaning the beaches at Port Dickson, like he promised us he would.

    Posted 4 years ago by Arul Inthirarajah · Reply

  • No one questions the status of BM. We only question why Khat khut Khit! It's not BM, its Arab Unta. Nothing to do with us!

    Posted 4 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply