The Bahasa radicals are coming. And now, they are coming back in style. Regardless of clear evidence to the contrary and to the possible repercussions, they now want to impose BM in all scenarios, official or not, it seems. That is gruesome picture indeed.
There are strong arguments that the school education curriculum is not 'official'. That's the reason why today English, and not BM, is the medium for learning science and mathematics in schools. But Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka wants to rule otherwise. There is more to come. Hang in there.
To keep the oven warm, Rais Yatim, now wants to stop the spread of 'bahasa rojak', and says DBP will criminally fine those who mutate and promote incorrect use of language on billboards and posters. Confusion followed with retailers wondering whether the language police will put a stop to names like PWTC and KLCC. That does not include stylish English names for posh housing estates and condominiums the prices will fall dramatically if the names become 'kampung' names like that imagined by DBP. Total madness is around the corner.
But when an imams and an ustaz appears on a TV show and mix their conversations with Arabic well that's fine, that's not 'rojak'. Only English words are 'rojak'. God knows what will happen now to Umno, EPU, MIER and MOA. No one bothers to prepare an impact paper and look at the broader constitutional implications of all of this in years to come.
Rais Yatim will claim that there is a 'jawatankuasa' that handles this issue, and people are being consulted. 'Let the experts like DBP participate and decide instead of just using terms like Touch 'n Go. Why use the English term when we could say Sentuh & Jalan, he asks.
Who is DBP? DBP is a statutory body, it is not a person. The old timers have gone. New kids on the block are running and manning DBP now. Since 1956 to date, there have been thousands of BM mistakes made by DBP in their publications and papers. Check them. Can we fine DBP then? Who is to judge DBP? Many can, but we are helpless as this game is played heavily favoring one side - you know who.
A random survey showed that major stakeholders in the country who should have been consulted were not invited such as the press, law faculties, Miti, EPU, Wisma Putra, Khazanah Holdings, Petronas, large GLCs, Isis, the Bar Council, the judiciary, the AG's Chambers, deans of faculties and private tertiary institutions, and the list goes on.
An open meeting in a sense, to seek guidance. But what instead? They took the easy way out they consulted some overzealous Bahasa Melayu 'fighters' who, in a self-serving manner, conjured up a sweeping decision to make in punishable for those who use BM wrongly or improperly. The reason for inviting only those in the present committee is simple they could 'legislate' whatever possible to further consolidate whatever is left in their matrix of influence and power.
Even the Zahid Report 2005 (Higher Education) wants universities to switch to English medium for professional courses. The Education Ministry, too, is rapidly tuning the education system to include the vigorous study of English. Private sector employers have always demanded that graduates come out of universities proficient in English. In the middle of this all, DBP still sticks to old dogmas and old mind sets that will soon (according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) turn the Malays and Malaysians into an irrelevant race in the global order of today.
What then is the agenda of DBP? Say it out aloud. The eroding role of DBP (as per original intent) is very real. DBP is losing its shine. It has actually outlived its purpose. DBP needs to re-invent itself, and revamp its role and listen to this it needs to downsize its workforce as well as its excessive spending.
Since 1959, there has not been a single programme by the DBP to launch BM as one of the major 'need to know' languages of the world. In other parts of the world, people opt for Bahasa Indonesia instead of Bahasa Malaysia. The stark truth is in Europe they go for Bahasa Indonesia - because Indonesia is active but DBP sleeps.
There is no concrete proof that DBP has done its part to develop BM on the global platform. DBP now turns on Malaysians instead. In Malaysia, controversies on BM abound because there are not many in the country who have well thought out views on the subject. Parliament has not established a powerful committee to look into this. Major independent think-tanks have not discussed this matter. Universities are left to their own devices. School curricula has not taken into account the frightening truth that universities are switching to English as their mainstream language of instruction.
Government officials and administrators speak broken and inadequate English. They are the product of our own confused system. In the midst of all this, come DBP with its 'fine them' and 'punishment' crusade. Ironically, Indonesian language institutions are the object of divine praise by DBP! DBP's people and abettors speak and read poems like the Indons, not Malays. Haven't you heard the Indonesian 'slang' or accent when some of the so-called Malay language fighters speak? Focus.
In most cases, the statements for policing BM are mere emotional outbursts from these so-called 'pejuang Bahasa'. In reality, these people actually know that English has an important role to play in 21st century Malaysia, and that BM is losing its appeal. They know that the Malays or Chinese or Indians who speak English well, can also speak BM relatively well.
But ironically they, the 'pejuang Bahasa' are almost monolingual they can't converse in English well, thus they have no choice but resort to extra-legal means to 'impose' the usage of BM in the entire spectrum of things isn't that typical?
Article 152 is fully supported. BM shall be the official language of Malaysia. But don't be paranoid and don't be overzealous. Let the Malaysian people decide the progress of their country. Steer the course. The current government's policy is moving in the right direction. No holier than thou BM stuff.
