I FOUND it more amusing to read Dr A. Soorian’s letter concerning Dr Ridhuan Tee’s proposal that election candidates should have at least a credit in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam for Bahasa Malaysia than Ridhuan’s proposal itself (NST, May 6).
He claimed Ridhuan’s suggestion is preposterous, citing Malaysia as a multiracial country. Dr Soorian missed the point.
Being able to speak standard Bahasa Malaysia in the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara has nothing to do with freedom of expression. An elected representative can express his points much better to the house and the nation with a good
command of the national language.
I have watched a video of a few members of a west coast state legislative council speaking horrendous Bahasa Malaysia and nearly every other member was either grinning, giggling or laughing, not at the points raised, but at the mispronunciation of some words.
Being able to speak well in the national language has nothing to do with multiculturalism.
Instead, it reflects a member of parliament’s love for the national language, for the Federal Constitution and the nation.
There is no reason for an educated MP to fail his or her SPM Bahasa Malaysia having learnt the language as a subject from preschool to Form Five. The inability to converse well in the language reflects negatively his or her attitude towards the national language and the country.
Dr Soorian also cited the late Tun Ghafar Baba and the late Tun Tan Siew Sin. Ghafar was a graduate from a Malay “university” then and Tan spoke fluent Malay since childhood. He would have scored an A1 if there was a Bahasa Malaysia subject in the Senior Cambridge Certificate Examination.
Yes, it is true that a candidate’s suitability for election is determined by his charisma and appeal. However, a good command of the national language, endorsed by a credit in SPM, will ensure that he explain his points better in standard Bahasa Malaysia in Parliament, without laughter, giggles, chuckles and embarrassment from other MPs and Malaysians.
Hasnan Ilias,Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu