KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) welcomes efforts to amend the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Act 1959 (Revised 1978, Amendment and Extension 1995) to empower the use of the Malay language in the country.
Its president Muhammad Faizal Abdul Aziz said Abim supports any effort to consolidate laws on the use of the national language, to ensure the correct use of the language.
“As we already know, language is an important medium to strengthen the role of institutions and be able to uphold the language, literature and knowledge among the people,” he said in a statement here, today.
Muhammad Faisal was referring to the draft amendment of Section 2 of the National Language Act 1963/67 (Act 32), which will give DBP the authority to enforce laws relating to the use of the Malay language, which has been prepared since early 2019.
Meanwhile, in another statement, he said Abim fully supports the government’s decision not to proceed with the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), and at the same time called for the Dual Language Programme (DLP) to be abolished.
The government should revert to the national language policy in national education, which has been sidelined due to the implementation of DLP, he said.
“The implementation of the DLP will not only continue the failure of PPSMI which has been proven through academic studies but is also a form of victimisation of students, parents and teachers.
“Giving the autonomy to schools, parents and teachers to choose between DLP/ PPSMI and the Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English Language (MBMMBI) policy does not make any sense and at the same time is against the mission to uphold the Malay language,” he added.
Abim urges the Education Ministry to return back to focus on efforts to strengthen the English language by upgrading and revising the learning modules in schools.
On July 15, Senior Education Minister Dr Radzi Jidin said the ministry has no plans to reintroduce PPSMI in schools. — Bernama
