Dewan Rakyat Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib today criticised parliamentarians who mixed-up Malay and English when addressing the House, describing their act as polluting the Malay language.

He said the reminder was made after it was found that, in several occasions, MPs did not use the Malay language in full but alternated by speaking in English.

"Not only it is not pleasant to hear, but more serious is, it pollutes the (Malay) language," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Ramli said the tendency of mixing up the languages was because the MPs had the knowledge of more than one language or felt that they could deliver the message clearly in English rather than in Malay.

He said although he understood that there were MPs who were knowledgeable of more than one language, their tendency of jumping from one language to another only reflected their own weakness in the Malay language, what more in English.

Ramli said history had proven that in terms of their existence, the Malay language is older than English and that it is also a complete language.

"I am not saying that the other language cannot be used. Reference to a certain issue in English for instance, can be made by giving their meaning in Malay. Reference can be made such as to matters which are regarded as reference material such as words of wisdom and so forth," he said.

Remember the people

On the other hand, Ramli said, most of the English words used by the MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, were available in the Malay language.

"If this act of mixing up the language continues at this level and left unchecked, will pollute the Malay language , with its integrity jeopardised," he said.

He said it was important to ensure that what was spoken in the Dewan Rakyat could be understood by the people, which were the target group, whether they were in or outside Parliament.

"If we continue to mix up the language, I believe more than 90 per cent of rural voters will not understand.

"If we cannot reach the target, then the message that we are trying to put across whether in the House or outside the House, will be less meaningful," he said.