As Tan Sri Adenan Satem walked towards the rostrum on the stage during the state-level Public Services Day celebration last week, the chief minister appeared determined and excited to announce a new policy before the crowd of 7,000.
After a brief salutation and a concise explanation on the 45 policies and principles adopted by the Sarawak government since he assumed the chief minister’s post, Adenan announced that English had been adopted as the other official language in the state administration. Bahasa Malaysia is the official language of Sawarak as stated under Article 152 of the Federal Constitution.
“You may use either English or Bahasa Malaysia (as the language of correspondence for inter-governmental communication between the state government, agencies and the public),” said Adenan to resounding applause in a packed hall at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching.
It has been almost a week since Adenan made the announcement, which triggered a debate among those opposed to it.
The move, which has been described as the 46th policy implemented during Adenan’s administration, was also a hot topic on social media. While many social media users, especially Sarawakians, backed the chief minister, there were quarters belittling the move as a political gimmick to boost support for the Sarawak Barisan Nasional in the next state election.
Even Social and Cultural Affairs Adviser to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, joined the verbal war. He calling on the Sarawak government to reconsider the move in the name of unity between the peninsula, and Sabah and Sarawak. Misleading reports about the announcement, which gave the impression that the state government planned to make English the official language, instead of Bahasa Malaysia, compounded the situation.
Hence, it was not a surprise that it received flak from some quarters, who were not familiar with the “environment” in the Land of the Hornbills. It will never be an easy task to persuade or please individuals or groups who are not receptive to changes.
The use of English as a language of correspondence is nothing alien to the people of Sarawak. The language, in fact, has been widely used during court proceedings in the state.
To most Sarawakians, the announcement by Adenan on the adoption of English as the other official language was nothing new, since it has been a normality to speak the language among the Sarawakians.
Detractors also missed the point that Adenan planned to uphold the standards of both languages, especially in the wake of reports of unemployment among graduates because of their poor command of English.
“If we do not adopt English as the second official language, we will be left behind.
“It is a pity that many graduates are unemployed because of their poor communication skills in English,” said Adenan.
The chief minister also announced that the state government was looking at ways to enhance the command of the English language among rural folk.
Unlike Sabah, Sarawak has never passed an enactment to declare Bahasa Malaysia its official language.
Nevertheless, Adenan pledged that the importance of Bahasa Malaysia would never be neglected in the plan to uphold English.
A senior minister came to Adenan’s defence, who has been also labelled an unpatriotic leader for refusing to budge from his stance over the use of English.
State Housing and Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the decision to make English an official language of the state alongside Bahasa Malaysia was conducted in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement.
Universiti Utara Malaysia political analyst associate professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, however, presented a different argument. The move by the state government to make English as an official language goes against the spirit of the Federal Constitution.
“It has been stated in Article 152 of the Federal Constitution that Bahasa Malaysia is the national language of the country.
“It must be remembered that the spirit of the Constitution is general in nature and applies to all states.
“With that said, it cannot be denied that English has been widely used in many occasions. including official purposes.
“Technically, it is not wrong for the Sarawak government to use English for official purposes.
“It is, however, the otherwise if the state government plans to turn English as the second official language as the move requires the amendment of the Constitution.”
While the decision to adopt English as the second official language is deemed as going against the Constitution, Adenan’s reason for making the move is justified.
English is important, he said, especially in a country like Malaysia, which is gearing towards becoming a high income nation by the year 2020.
It is the medium of communication for numerous fields worldwide, including manufacturing, medicine, and science and technology.
The writer is NST Sarawak bureau chief