Nothing wrong in using English at press conference

I REFER to the letter “Be proud of Bahasa Malaysia” (The Star, July 6) in which the writer stated that he was very certain foreign journalists would be able to get the English version of court proceedings and press conferences.

Please allow me to share my opinion on this as a Malaysian journalist in Kuala Lumpur working for a US-based publication.

For foreign journalists covering a court case in Malaysia, if they do not understand the proceedings which are carried out in Bahasa Malaysia, then they are at a disadvantage.

They would have to find out from the defence lawyers and prosecution team what exactly transpired in court. I am sure court staff have more important issues to deal with.

For media conferences held by government departments or ministries in Malaysia, there is always a Bahasa Malaysia version and an English one.

I covered a court case of an air accident in a foreign country last year. The court proceedings were carried out in the local language. There was no press release in either the local language or English. I must admit that I was at a loss as to how I was going to do my story if I did not manage to get information from the two parties involved in the case.

I don’t think I am wrong in saying that Attorney General Tommy Thomas opted to speak in English to the media at the court complex as there were many foreign journalists present at that time.

And what’s wrong with giving Thomas a little time to master Bahasa Malaysia?