YESTERDAY (Feb 26), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that only Bahasa Malaysia would be used at official Government functions held abroad.
He also said that the instruction would apply when English is not the host country’s national language.
“Bahasa Malaysia will be used at Government functions in countries that use their own national language such as in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand.
“This is in efforts to make Bahasa Malaysia a common language used in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), considering that many people in ASEAN countries can speak Bahasa Malaysia,” The Star reported Ismail Sabri as saying.
The Bera MP stated that in countries where English is the national language, then the Malaysian Government officials will use the English language.
However, several people took to social media to mock and criticise the new directive, adding Malaysia has more pressing issues to deal with right now instead of arguing on language.
User Bravo Bran lashed out:
Echoing Bran’s sentiments, user WP Yuan added:
Netizen Ding Sing Lee retorted: 
In 2018, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said that foreign graduates stand a better chance to secure jobs over local graduates due to better grasp of the English language.
“They also have an advantage as they are more exposed to international culture and knowledge. So, employers would obviously choose them for these skills.
“These are the kind of things that our local graduates lack,” its executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan was reported as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
Use BM to save us the embarrassment
His view was supported by Universiti Putra Malaysia, Prof Datin Paduka Dato Aini Ideris, who said that lack of English fluency has become setback for graduates seeking employment opportunities.
“Graduates with poor command of English have lower chances of being employed than those who are fluent in the language despite having the expertise required in their field”, she had said in 2018, at the Malaysia International Conference on English Language Teaching (MICELT) 2018.
On that note, several netizens “lauded” Ismail Sabri’s decision, given that quite a number of Cabinet ministers lack proficiency in English, which was had caused much embarrassment they attend foreign functions.
User Shanil Kumar said:
Echoing Shanil’s sentiments, user Joy Shabeeta Murty stated:
(Please don’t use English. Most of our ministers are terrible at it. So embarrassing)
Netizen Traxx Silverfield remarked: “Just use BM everywhere you go, please. Most ministers English … terrible vegetable. Just look at Spanish Fly, enough said. Period.” – Feb 27, 2022.
