Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party Vice President David Ong urged the Federal Government to uphold the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and respect regional language rights.
He called for the directive mandating the use of Malay for all official correspondence to be suspended, as it fails to honour the protection for the Borneon states as enshrined under MA63.
“Imposing uniform language policies without consulting regional stakeholders goes against the spirit of MA63 and can jeopardise unity.
“The concerns voiced by leaders from both states on this directive are valid. Our autonomy and regional sensitivities must be acknowledged,” he said in a statement, Friday.
David said the use of the Malay language for all official correspondence with the Government is impractical and neglects Malaysia’s multilingual reality.
He added such a policy risks marginalising and alienating non-Malay-speaking citizens in their engagement with the Government and creates unnecessary barriers and complications.
“We must also confront the reality that English proficiency among our politicians and civil servants has declined severely since the 1970s and 1980s, unlike in neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Singapore.
“The fluency of previous generations facilitated international engagement and helped spur Malaysia’s development.
“However, rigid language policies have regressed our English language abilities over time, undermining global competitiveness,” he said.
David stressed that the nation’s future growth requires Malaysian youths to embrace English for education and business, as done by previous generations.
“Upholding English as an official language along with Malay can help recapture the bilingual excellence of the past, ensuring Malaysian dynamism in the global arena. We cannot afford to be inward-looking when the world is more interconnected than ever.
“We urge the Federal Government to take heed of feedback from East Malaysia and reconsider this policy. Compromise and consensus-building with all partners can lead to solutions that balance national and regional interests,” he said.
David added that calls for consultation are reasonable, as greater care is needed when introducing changes that affect states protected by historical accords.
“Our voices cannot be sidelined if we are to truly uphold the Malaysia Agreement,” he said.