PUTRAJAYA, Sept 21 — The Mandarin version option on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) official website is not a newly created page, but rather one that was reactivated recently with changes and improvements.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention), Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said this version had been in existence since 2015 but was then shut down temporarily in 2018 before being reactivated with improvements to ensure the anti-graft message reaches a wider audience.
“The Mandarin version was not being updated then and was shut down in 2018. We have reactivated it because there are officers now to manage it… we may even come up with a Tamil version if there is enough allocation,” he told Bernama when commenting on the reaction from various parties over the portal’s Mandarin version.
Today, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), through its Wira movement, handed over a letter of protest to the MACC over the matter.
Shamshun Baharin said the MACC had always prioritised Bahasa Melayu as its primary language on its official portal although other language options are also available.
He stressed that MACC had never sidelined Article 152 of the Federal Constitution which upholds the national language as the official language and had always complied with the National Language Act 1963/67.
“This should not be an issue as Bahasa Melayu is still used as the primary language on MACC’s portal,” he said.
Former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya, meanwhile, said having Mandarin as another language option was not an offence as long as it is aimed at ensuring a clearer understanding of graft issues,
She said the justice system in Malaysia was the same one practised in the courts, police stations or prisons which offers translation options for other languages apart from the national language.
“Awareness of corruption is very important... understanding (of the matter) must be made easier for everyone in society and such efforts must not be stopped,” she said.
MACC recently announced that it was reactivating the Mandarin language option on its official portal to meet the needs of the Chinese community in sourcing information on corruption anti-prevention efforts and matters that concerned the commission. — Bernama
