PETALING JAYA: Other Asean nations might not reply properly if Malaysian civil servants are pressured to use Bahasa Malaysia when corresponding with the worldwide group, says Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.
She stated this in response to Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Zuki Ali’s name for the Public Service Department (JPA) to think about punitive measures to implement the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the civil service.
“If this mindset of being inward-looking persists, with even penalties imposed for not speaking with the remainder of the world in Bahasa Malaysia, then we would be the bureaucratic pariahs in Asean,” Rafidah stated in an announcement on Saturday (May 28).
Rafidah, a former worldwide commerce and business minister (Miti) stated throughout her tenure, she had requested for all the ministry’s communications to be performed in English to ensure effectivity in the supply of its companies.
“Every 12 months, the non-public sector honoured Miti with its annual enterprise award,” Rafidah stated.
She added that she sympathised with Miti officers and others who’ve to cope with the worldwide group, ought to they be pressured to adjust to the use of Bahasa Malaysia on all official issues.
She additionally stated Malaysia’s civil servants’ competence in English used to be a key driver in attracting high-quality international investments.
“Malaysia was certainly the popular funding and enterprise vacation spot the place communication was facilitated and efficient.
“The imaginative and prescient and reference level was ‘Malaysia in the regional and international infrastructure’. Not Malaysia in its personal ‘syok sendiri’ (self-indulgent), tiny, self-wound cocoon,” she stated.
On Tuesday (May 24), Zuki was reported as saying that he hoped the JPA may study actions that may be taken against those that take evenly the directions associated to the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the civil service.
He stated the corrective and punitive motion, aside from reprimand primarily based on language audit, is just not supposed to intimidate, however moderately to ensure that Bahasa Malaysia because the nationwide language is just not used arbitrarily.
