JANUARY 22 — Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem told his people there is no such thing as “bangsa lain-lain” in the state. They have their names, such as Bumiputra Iban, Bumiputra Bidayuh, etc.
So, if in the future they see the column “bangsa lain-lain” in government forms, they should just cancel it and write Bumiputra Iban, Bumiputra Bidayuh, etc.
The old gentleman is pretty straightforward, knowing little about the bureaucracy over here in Peninsular Malaysia. So, if you refuse to make changes to the forms, we are going to do it ourselves. The Ibans, Bidayuhs, Melanaus and Orang Ulus are no “lain-lain” in the state. They are very much indigenous to Sarawak.
Such an attitude should be seen as a form of respect for the minorities. Prior to this, there used to be controversies in West Malaysia whether the race column in government forms should be abolished. Of course in the end the liberals failed to fight the conservatives and the column is still retained today.
Whatever the decision is, even if such a distinction should be retained, at least some respect must be shown. Doing away with “bangsa lain-lain” is only a beginning for a racially indistinguishable Malaysia.
Adenan’s attitude highlights his commendable spirit of respect for plurality.
While officiating a conference in the state, he told the participants, “Where I am around, you can speak Iban or any native dialect in the state. Don’t ask for permission. In Sarawak, we can freely use our own languages.”
How reassuring and heart-warming is the old gentleman’s simple assurance. No languages are inferior to others. You can use any language you like.
To be honest, the ubiquitous “Sorry, please allow me to...” linguistic culture in this country has been practised for a very long time. I have no idea whether this has been specifically provided by some laws, or is tacitly agreed or a manifestation of linguistic inferiority complex.
During a parliamentary debate or when a lawyer is presenting his statement in the court, if the speaker wishes to express his views in a language other than Bahasa Malaysia, he will start with “Sorry, please allow me to...”
Whom should he apologise to and from whom should he seek permission? I have no idea at all, because no one has actually demanded an apology from you and neither will anyone (including the House Speaker and judge) respond by saying: All right, your request is granted.
If during a debate in Parliament on whether investment policies should be further liberalised with minimal government intervention, and where the French word laissez-faire has to be used since there is no suitable English alternative that could better illustrate the meaning, British Prime Minister David Cameron will never request: I’m sorry, please allow me to use the French word laissez-faire.
Perhaps this has become a customary etiquette in Malaysia’s Parliament, state legislative assemblies and courts. This has become so widely accepted that in the event English, Mandarin or other languages need to be used in a public address, “Sorry, please allow me to...” shall precede.
Malaysia is a multilingual society where any language, be it English, Mandarin or Tamil, should be used alongside the national language to reflect the country’s diverse cultural vibrancy.
This should be our edge and there is no need for “Sorry, please allow me to...” as if what we are going to do is something quite unpleasant or unacceptable. Does that also mean a particular language is more superior to another, the use of which warrants an outright permission?
In an event hosted by the Chinese political parties or associations, normally BM will be used as a gesture of respect for a government VVIP, which is absolutely OK to me. But when the speaker needs to deliver his speech in Mandarin subsequently, he will customarily precede with “Maaf, izinkan saya...”
Come on, this is your show, and you don’t need any approval from your guests!
It is perfectly all right to show our respect for the national language, but that does not mean we should bring our own language so far down. — Sin Chew Daily
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
