Wan Junaidi: Better to use BM in Parliament

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Wan Junaidi

KUCHING: Members of Parliament (MP) will likely frown at any of their own delivering speeches in English.

Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who is also Deputy Home Minister was perhaps exaggerating when he said that members usually get booed when giving their speeches in English.

Whatever it is, Wan Junaidi appeared to suggest that it would be great if all MPs master Bahasa Melayu in order to get their messages understood well in Parliament.

“Though one can get permission to speak in English (in the Parliament), he gets booed when delivering it in English,” he said on Sunday when asked to comment on the move by Election Commission (SPR) to study a proposal that individuals wanting to become elected representatives must have at least a credit in Bahasa Melayu in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

In the first place, argued Wan Junaidi, all Malaysians who went to school after 1973 should be able to speak Bahasa Melayu.

“The year 1973 was 10 years after Malaysian Independence for which Sabah and Sarawak were given allowance of 10 years before the implementation of the national language in the states.

“Although it is good to have candidates who speak the language use it in the Parliament, restricting the choice by placing language requirement is exceeding what the Constitution already dictates.

“However, if he or she does not speak Bahasa Malaysia or English as for Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN), then he or she, once elected is duty bound to learn either one of these languages so that he or she can represent the voice of his or her constituents. Otherwise, he or she is not worthy of his or her position as people’s representatives,” he said.

On Wednesday, Social and Cultural Affairs advisor to the government Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim was reported as saying the suggestion by Prof Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah should be supported as leaders should be able to speak BM.

Prior to Tee’s suggestion, a certain video grab of a Parliament proceeding showing an MP mispronouncing BM words like ‘terburu-buru’ (in haste) as ‘terbulu-bulu’ and ‘Raja’ (Royal ruler) as ‘laja’ went viral on the Internet.