Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said there is no reason to worry about the proposal to require prospective election candidates to possess at least a credit in SPM Bahasa Malaysia.

“Nothing has been finalised. Why worry when it is merely a suggestion?” Zahid said at a press conference in Permatang Pauh today.

“Why worry if an MP or state assemblyperson is required to be able to speak the national language?”

Zahid was asked to respond to criticism from several opposition leaders on the suggestion made by former National Defence University lecturer Ridhuan Tee Abdullah.

Nevertheless, Zahid said as Malaysians, there was no reason for one not to be fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

“We know that we live in a multi-cultural country and that the national language is BM.

“Look at Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Their MPs have to speak in Thai, Indonesian and Tagalog,” he said.

The Election Commission (EC) is currently mulling over the suggestion made by Ridhuan ( left ).

Ridhuan said in his Sinar Harian column on April 27 that poor command of Bahasa Malaysia in Parliament and state assemblies made the August Houses look like “pasar malam (night markets)”.

Pakatan Rakyat MPs such as PKR’s N Surendran and DAP’s Anthony Loke however said the suggestion was unnecessary and that paper qualifications proved nothing.

Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Dr Sim Kui Hian today said that requiring elected representatives to have at least an SPM credit in Bahasa Malaysia is “stupid”.

However, Sim acknowledged that MPs and assemblypersons must be able to speak and write well.