Bahasa Malaysia is our national language, and one that all of us should be able to converse in. But being unilingual will never get anyone far, and our people, with our many races and cultures, are able to speak in a variety of languages. From Tamil, Mandarin, BM, and, of course, English, it’s pretty special to have so much diversity.
Recently, a Twitter user shared a poster created by Tan Tihn Chern for his university project. The poster was created with noble intent - that is, to show that we are all Malaysians and race does not divide. It features four people each blindfolded with cloth strips the colour of the Malaysian flag, with the words “I am not a (insert race), I am a Malaysian” accompanying each picture.
Photo: Twitter (@melayu_baru)
In the viral tweet, however, a triggered Twitter user questioned why the language used in the poster was English, and not the national language. He asked why it didn’t say “Saya Anak Malaysia” instead. Netizens were divided over the issue, with a majority pointing out the fact that English is not a foreign language to Malaysians. In fact, using English on the poster would mean a wider reach to an even bigger audience, instead of limiting it only to those who speak Malay. Someone also wisely pointed out that speaking English really doesn’t make you any less Malaysian!
There were also others who criticised the person who posted the tweet, saying that he was trying to create an issue out of nothing, and was simply twisting the facts to suit his own views. Simply put, some people will only see what they want to.
English is a common lingua franca, and it’s basically the language we are using in this article! What are your thoughts on this?
By: Celestine Foo
