Minimum requirement for every Malaysian citizen

I HUMBLY refer to the various opinions in The Star’s Views section regarding the use (or lack of it) of our national language by people in positions of power and influence.

Bahasa Malaysia (BM) is our national language and it is stated so in our Constitution. As such, it should be treated with the respect it deserves. Much like the national anthem and national flag, it should not be seen as an obstacle to unity but as another unifying factor for all Malaysians.

Much as we cannot expect every Malaysian to speak fluent English, thus I believe we cannot expect everyone to speak flawless BM either as there may have been unavoidable circumstances to prevent them from learning to do so. But being able to even speak broken BM, in my opinion, is the bare requirement for every citizen of this country.

However, government officials must be seen to have better command of the language than the average Malaysian because they are the flag bearers of our country. Yes, there is probably nothing wrong in giving government press releases in other languages besides BM but is it wrong to expect BM to be used for this purpose?

One writer has said that he had difficulty covering a court case in a foreign country because it was conducted in their official language. Is that not the norm in most coun- tries? Why can’t it be the norm here too, no matter how global a media frenzy the former prime minister’s court case has attracted?

Perhaps someone can give Malaysians an example of high-ranking government officials of a country who do not, at the very least, have adequate command of their national language.

Malaysia is at a stage where we have to give and take. Many ministerial and high-ranking government positions are now occupied not by one particular race but by those deemed qualified to perform the duties required. All we, or rather all I, ask is that they respect our national language and that our high-ranking officials have an ade- quate command of it. Is that too much to ask for when it should be natural for all Malaysians anyway?

MAM Kota Damansara