A NETIZEN known as Elle Fara let her displeasure known when she found a pamphlet advertising footwear written completely in Chinese.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the online business owner said she had gone for a jog and upon her return to her vehicle, she saw the offending item stuck on her car door handle.
She proclaimed that as Malaysians, such printed material should be in the national language.
With this issue gaining traction since an immigration officer gained notoriety for chiding a lady and her child for not being proficient in Malay, Malay proficiency has become a political hot potato with vernacular education being at the centre of the row.
As the matter has become a trending issue on social media, it was not surprising that Elle Farra’s post has attracted 872,700 views at the time of writing along with 7,700 likes and 200 comments.
Balik jogging, nampak pamphlet ni kat pintu kereta.
Aku org Malaysia. Kita orang Malaysia. Guna lah Bahasa Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/bgbFp4sI4F
— Elle Fara (@elle_fara) December 23, 2023
Many shared their opinion on the hot topic. Here’s a sample:
Some netizens chided the poster for making a mountain out of a molehill:
However, some netizens surmised that the reason for the pamphlet using Chinese was that Elle Fara may not be the company’s target purchasers or the product may not be halal.
But one netizen hit the nail on the head, stating that the advertiser was the one who will feel the loss by limiting its potential audience:
Quite a number of netizens opined that if the advertiser was not keen to tap the non-Mandarin users’ market, it was no big deal as there are plenty of alternatives:
Of course, there were a fair share of racist comments which FocusM shall refrain from re-posting but it is very evident that the issue has touched a raw nerve.
It is indeed perplexing why advertisers would seek to limits its audience unless as suggested by some, the products were made from non-halal items.
Perhaps it is time for the authorities to insist that any form of advertising must be in the national language. At the very least, it will open up translation job opportunities for those who are multi-lingual. – Dec 25, 2023
