KUALA LUMPUR: This year's Malay Language Public Speaking Competition, or Pidato Antarabangsa Bahasa Melayu (PABM) will be held today at the Sultan Iskandar Hall, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Baru.
It will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at 8:00pm and can be viewed on the Higher Education Ministry's official Facebook page.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, in a statement said the objective of the competition was to raise awareness on the importance of the Malay language as a tool to unite various ethnicities and countries.
"The Higher Education Ministry has always been a strong advocate of PABM as it supports the action plan to dignify the national language as the language of knowledge in public universities.
The annual competition, which has been held since 2007, is also aimed at promoting, consolidating and expanding the usage of the Malay language throughout higher education institutions around the world.
"PABM also corresponds to Malaysia's Higher Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) concerning language skills in general and the language skills of international students in particular."
Noraini said all international students in local higher education institutions were required to undergo the Bahasa Malaysia for Communication course.
"The competition functions as a complementary platform for international students to enhance their communication skills in the local language and helps them to adapt and assimilate with the local community which will consequently enrich their higher education experience."
This year, 33 participants are expected to physically attend the competition in three categories: The Malay Nations Category (five participants), the International Category (five participants), and the International Students in Malaysia Category (23 participants).
The Malay Nations Category consists of participants from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
The International Category consists of participants that do not come from the Malay Nations. The participants from these two categories were selected through competitions conducted in the respective countries.
The International Students in Malaysia Category consists of participants from public and private universities. The selection is done through competitive rounds (i.e., preliminary, quarter finals, semi-finals) which are physically conducted at UTM.
There will be a total of nine participants competing in the final rounds (three participants from each category).
"In the era of globalisation, frequent association is made between the mastery of the English language to attaining quality education, obtaining a job and adopting new technology. There is no denying that being able to effectively communicate in English opens doors to various opportunities.
"Nevertheless, the importance of being proficient in our national language, Bahasa Malaysia and the regional language of Bahasa Melayu must not be overlooked. Being bilingual or even multi lingual yields immense rewards.
"Research has shown that when a person is able to speak more than one language, they become sensitised to different cultures. This enables them to communicate effectively, be more empathetic and better able to resolve differences with others from different cultures.
"In more ways than one, this competition is a celebration and an appreciation of the national and regional language. From this, it is hoped that more people will be motivated to uphold our national language and cultural heritage," Noraini added.