KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — It is important for young Malaysians to appreciate Bahasa Malaysia or their own mother tongues so that they can take pride in their heritage, said a national laureate.
Prof Siti Zainon Ismail, who was elected as National Laureate last year, said such awareness should be raised early on in one’s childhood at home.
“Every language has its own customs and norms, which we must strive to keep alive and pass down to our descendants,” she said during a press conference by the Movement to Abolish PPSMI here.
Siti Zainon cited examples from regional neighbours like Indonesia and South Korea, where she said the populace is able to differentiate themselves using their own languages, when contrasted with the usage of international languages.
“Whenever Indonesians or South Koreans represent their own nations abroad, they do not shy away from using it with others, even willing to resort to translators if need be so they can get themselves across more clearly.
“Even when visiting other foreign countries as part of cultural exchanges, they are willing to go as far as to make presentations using slides in their native tongues. This is something we can learn a great deal from,” she said.
More importantly, Siti Zainon said she is worried that not using one’s mother tongue regularly can contribute to developing an inferiority complex.
“At times I feel embarrassed whenever I see some of our local television dramas. The English may be middling but a sense of Westernisation is being portrayed, to the extent that hair is dyed blonde and blue contact lenses are used.
“To me, this marks a sense of profound loss in one’s soul, of where one comes from, which is a great shame,” she said.
The prolific author of three novels, 10 short story collections, and 25 poetry collections is one of seven living national laureates who endorsed the movement’s aims, which argues that using English for Science and Mathematics has not only failed to produce tangible results, but also negatively impacted nearly three million students when it was first carried out from 2003 to 2012.
