Guan Eng’s statement in Mandarin minor mistake – Dr M

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described as a minor mistake a statement in Mandarin issued by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng that had drawn flak from various quarters.

He said it was normal for mistakes to be made by individuals and it was needless to blow up the issue.

“It's not that we want to advice… he (Lim) made a mistake, it was not deliberate. He can issue statements as usual in his capacity as a minister,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference here yesterday.

Lim had reportedly defended his action in issuing statements in three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, English and Mandarin, when he discussed the Tun Razak Exchange issue last Thursday.

However, a post he uploaded onto his Facebook account on Sunday to defend his statements made in the three languages last Thursday was only in Mandarin.

Meanwhile, Lim said the Finance Ministry always gives priority to Bahasa Melayu as the medium of communication.

He said allegations that Mandarin had replaced Bahasa Melayu as the official language of the ministry were not true and proof of this can be seen on the ministry's official website.

Lim said the official statement in Bahasa Melayu would be translated into English for the international media and sometimes into Mandarin if it was necessary, especially if it involved technical terms.

“The stand to uphold Article 152 of the Federal Constitution which states that Bahasa Melayu is the national language has never been questioned,” he said.-Bernama