Oh Please-lah
Yesterday in twitterzen, this news being circulated, it’s about the Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi want’s the private sector to use Bahasa Malaysia instead English. Read a bit about the news below.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians in the private sector should use Bahasa Malaysia and not English to show pride of the national language, Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said yesterday.
He said they used English 99 per cent of the time and hardly communicated in Bahasa Malaysia.
“This also occurs in government-linked companies where we have this weird culture of people speaking to each other in English instead of the national language,” he said at the launch of the Bahasa Melayu International linguistics seminar here.
Puad said the private sector, by not using Bahasa Malaysia, had tarnished the image of the national language.
He said Malaysians should emulate the French, Japanese and Koreans who were loyal to their language.
I go WTH wei!! going here and there and hanky and panky and now what ?
Hello minister, for your information, we use english language because it’s fast and not a long language. The shortest example is Selamat Pagi. In English we said Good Morning. Now, let’s count the tones to speak in both language
- Se – la – mat ~ pa – gi ( 5 tones )
- good ~ mor – ning ( 3 tones )
And another complicated example
- sa-ya~ se-dang~ ma-kan
- I’m~ eat-ing
That alone cut 2-3 tones. Okay lets take another simple example. In Malaysia = Aku Cinta Kamu. In English, we said I love you. Again, count the tones.
- A-ku ~ Cin-ta ~ ka-mu ( 6 tones )
- I~love~you ( if you don’t know how to count, here, a sound-note = I-luv-u ( 3 tones )
Now you may see why english-spoken person good at getting girls, they keep it short and simple.
Speaking Fast
English can cut through all the hassle and through time because their word structure is simple. Me myself, speaking to clients in english, even though I speak cluttered and broken english, I still said it because for me, it use less of my emotions and made me felt better and can focus on what I spoke. When I use malay words, I tend to prolong it, because by making Bahasa much longer, it seems more beautiful. If you’ve listen to old jiwang karat/ love song, their words are arranged beautifully.
And not to forget, Malay like to use proverbs or even worse, berkias dalam berkata kata.
How about those French,Koreans and Japanese?
As for those nation that speaks their native language, let’s see their characteristics
- they were involved in wars, which modernized/industrialize their nation
- thus, creating a factory, where built by nation, and run by locals
- the local manager recruit their staff, their locals too
- their economy go boomed! They still survive on their own.
- they produce their cars, their cars using their names too. Toyota Honda Lamborghini – haha this is italy :p
Let see Malaysia characteristics
- we were colonized by British, who then teach english language
- as andvancement for community here, enrolling in English college will push you to better education
- we open up the land to oversea investors to build their factory and building
- and did they bother to learn Bahasa Malaysia ?
- Instead, we workers, need to learn English to suit them.
- After all, Bahasa Malaysia is native for Malays.
Please-lah. Don’t even compare us with those gigantic nations who could stand on their own language. I can’t imagine if I were a private sector, open up Manager position and they don’t speak english, I wonder how would they deal with nationwide clients. Hire another translator. Oh translator agency will make lotsa money if they really enforce Bahasa Malaysia. And those nation, all of the english book will be translated to their language so they don’t bother. We, we even more better, change the words :p
Unless, if he were right to change and all people here need to change. So the expatriates comes to Malaysia, will need to hire a translator. sarcasm.start() :p
Pride?
I think it is stupid just because of pride, you’ll sacrifice your time to communicate. If you really wanted to change, then I recommend you reading Revolusi Bahasa by Mokhtar Hj Mansur. Read that first then think back again why Bahasa Malaysia isn’t suitable, for private sector.
No wonder some politicians have those flowery words. hahah!
P/S: since Mokhtar Hj Mansur wrotes in Malay, in a nutshell, he was a writer of Revolusi Bahasa:Bahasa Revolusi.That book explaining language problems and how it affects community, Malay especially. He’s also the inventor of Kaedah Mokhdar. Tu Wa Ga Pa Ma Na Ja Ka Lan 
I’ve read that book (kaedah mokhdar/Revolusi Bahasa) when I was 9-11 years old so don’t ask me where is the book, if you want to borrow it :p
P P/S: since we’re going to use all Bahasa Malaysia, check out my translation of certain softwares and games here in Bahasa Malaysia. let’s get serious okay :p
Ikhwan Nazri A.K.A Tekong, 24/7 god servant. Director & Multimedia Producer of 
November 19th, 2009 at 10:53 am
aku sokong pendapat ko =)
November 19th, 2009 at 11:10 am
OMFG…..
November 19th, 2009 at 11:12 am
hmm..ni yg aku malas nk kasi comment ni..kang silap2 masuk ISA kang aku..so..aku menyokong 200% peratus apa yg ko ckp..no comment..heheehe.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:14 am
snowwie – kan kan ? – OMGARMIN betullah they all
xflixz – maksudnye ko menyokong aku kena masuk ISA ker >_<
November 19th, 2009 at 11:59 am
BM sounds excellent, much better actually, for songs and lyrics and poems compared to English because of its “bunga-bunga”. But you’re right, for the private sector it should be English as it is. Msian’s command of the language is weak enough as it is, let’s not ruin it anymore. We don’t have the strong economy like Korea or Japan to allow us to live in our own world. Language should be our advantage, not a crutch.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Datuk tu lupa buat research tu bro before kasi kenyataan kat media. Nanti aku spy dia betul ke cakap 99% melayu hari2..
November 19th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
macam lah kalau selalu sangat speaking time kerja kita akan lupa terus bahasa melayu.
afraid the chinese and indian won’t bother bahasa melayu anymore? tu salah diorang la. macam kita jugak, salah sendiri la kalau tak boleh bertutur in mandarin and tamil.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
2020 vision is a hoax la then?
November 19th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
mike – yeah we didn’t have own economy to sustain, to begin with
khai – ayat salah tu. patut = nanti aku siasat dia betul ke cakap 99% melayu :p
nesca – rasa nya pasal tu bergantung pada keadaan kita membesar. cuba hidup kat oversea and besarkan baby kat sana.. konfem dia fasih cakap english, pelat melayu walhal kita tidak :p
sham – vision 2020 tu rasanya wawasan yg disalahertikan agaga.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
The issue of Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi’s suggestion to use Bahasa in private sector may lies on the problem of practicality in business world. For those companies who deal a lot with foreign people, his suggestion would be ridiculous. But if his suggestion referred to how Malaysian communicates, or how the Malays in private sector communicates among them. Then that would need another long discussion. The issue has nothing to do with Bahasa Melayu hard to speak or have longer syllables. It would be better to aim the critics on Puad Zarkashi’s suggestion not the language.
If a Malay want to think that Bahasa Melayu fill with disadvantages or not something good to use. Put business issue aside, look into philosophical matter. I suggest try to think why Immanuel Kant didn’t wrote in French French was today English at that time, the language of knowledge.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
edry – how to look into philosophical matter? again because we were conquered and colonized by English, we can’t help but the only way to advance not even among Malays, but all races in malaysia that time is by mastering english.
Malay language was a lingua franca during Zaman Kesultanan Melayu Melaka. Too bad that they also human made mistake and allow English to conquer Malaysia. Just imagine if English came here but we were strong enough. I would by now have an Englishman to translate my malay words, for the whole world to hear.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Language not just words flowing out from our mouth and carries nothing. Languages are not only medium of the thought, it could also shape thoughts. Within a language there are culture, worldview etc. Ever wonder why out of so many languages in the world, Islam was revealed in Arabic? What the wisdom behind it?
Mastering English and adopting English as our own language (for some people it includes looking down at their own language) is two different cases. Yes, we ought to master as many language as we could, I never against that. I myself try my best to master as many languages as I could. But that doesn’t mean we have to adopt other language as our own and looking down our own language.
Referring to above article, let say it is about how important for us to master today’s ‘language of knowledge’. Then why must it comes with paragraphs mentioning about English is better because Malay language have so many syllables which make it hard for communication and so on? That is the part I don’t agree.
The problem now is not about we’re learning from them, but we start to imitates them. We start to use their language as it is our own. Which in the end take us further from our roots.
December 15th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
alfaisal – okay I agree with the part that you don’t agree, where I bashing malay language, my own root language. maybe I bash my own language because my root language already shape my thoughts. so that’s why i come up with the paragraphs comparing Malay and English syllables.
and apparently, that’s what, by the research of Dr Mansur, Malay language that ’shape the thoughts’ of Malay itself. I believe there are many things that can shape one’s thoughts, and to said one, apart from bloodlines, are languages. As other factor might be personal factor and too random, Malay language, is what people from all straits and sabah and sarawak, have the same attributes. And how do Malay language shape the thoughts? by longer syllables. what is the thoughts of a malay generally? I believe it is written in Malay Dilemma.
Interesting enough, if I’m not mistaken the Malay Dilemma, was written in English. It will be interesting to think, why Dr M didn’t write it in Malay, the wisdom behind it.
if I do steer away from the topic, let me know
December 15th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I am not a Malay but I am a Malaysian and I have studied and learnt Bahasa Malaysia for more than 13 years. It’s the national language and there’s nothing wrong with it, syllables or otherwise is not an issue. I would gladly use it under any circumstances just as I would use Chinese as it is my mother tongue, or English, whenever the situation is appropriate. Personally I like BM because it’s a beautiful and flowery language and I am grateful to have grown up in an environment where I have an opportunity to learn multiple languages (though through no credit to the education system).
Language denotes culture, that is a fact. But language in many cases especially in transactions involving parties from different background has a primary function of communications. If the language used does not carry the messages necessary for communications then it is the wrong choice of language, nothing to do with the merits of the language itself.
Forcing parties to communicate in a particular language where the language is not suitable (not because of merit but because either one party cannot communicate easily with it) defeats the purpose of communicating. Does the Deputy *Education* Minister really want to cause communications breakdown?
Why are we looking at emulating the French, Koreans and Japanese (in this aspect) when communications is obviously a problem for them, as anyone who has worked with them can attest?
If this is the heartfelt thinking of the Deputy *Education* Minister I can only shake my head sadly for the education of the generation growing up under his guidance.
December 16th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
sausheong – ahh i get it. syllables didn’t matter. and we’ve maybe become like french koreans and japanese if we were to stick with one language.