PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should muster courage and revoke the directive imposed by the chief secretary to the Government for punitive action to be meted out against civil servants who fail to use the Malay language in both local and international settings.
“He should explain why the Public Service Department (PSD) is talking about taking punitive action against civil servants for using English while he himself is going around wearing outfit from British luxury brand, Burberry,” said Lim Kit Siang, in a statement.
On May 24, Berita Harian reported that the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali had urged PSD to consider corrective and punitive action to enforce the use of Malay in the civil service and even Government-linked companies (GLC).
The view caught the attention of G25, a group of former top high-ranking civil servants, who condemned the decision and called it regressive.
While they supported the move the strengthen the use of Malay to create unity in Malaysia, the group said the Government must recognise the fact that English as most-widely spoken language in the world.
“Malaysia will have a lot to lose if there are punitive measures on those who use English in their official work in Government departments because there are many areas in which civil servants may have to communicate and express themselves in English to get a common understanding of the problems and issues they face,” G25 had stated.
Zuki’s decision also courted brickbats from former international trade and industries (MITI) minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.
“I sympathise with MITI officers and others who have to deal with the foreign community, in whatever sphere.
“Already, now, the foreigners are complaining about this backsliding in policies and focus,” Malaysiakini reported her as saying yesterday. – May 29, 2022
