This article is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to be used or construed as legal advice in any manner whatsoever. All articles have been scrutinized by a practicing lawyer to ensure accuracy.
Joseph Francis
joseph@asklegal.my
The Acts of Parliament are not automatically
extended in every case to Sabah and Sarawak as the State Assemblies in the two Borneo nations must also give their consent.
ANALYSIS English has always been the official language of
Sarawak as provided for under Article 161(1) and (2) of the Federal
Constitution and Article 2(c ) of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). The MPs
from both Sabah and Sarawak also have the
right to speak in English in Parliament.
The Acts of Parliament are not automatically
extended in every case to Sabah and Sarawak as the State Assemblies in the two Borneo nations must also give their consent.
Again, if the Constitution states
that English is the official language of Sarawak,
it’s also because the National Language Act has not been extended to the state.
This is surprising, or not surprising, considering that Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, later Sarawak Chief Minister
and Governor, was at one time the Federal Education Minister. Abdul Rahman, now
late, was the maternal uncle of current Sarawak Governor Taib Mahmud who was
previously Chief Minister for 33 years, having succeeded the former who headed
the state government for ten years.
Bahasa Malaysia,
despite Sarawak's return to the English
language under its Constitution, will continue to remain an important language
for the state to communicate with its neighbours. However, Bahasa Malaysia will
be unable to shed its "ethnic" tag, indeed even stigma of sorts, as
long as Article 160 (Interpretation) on the definition of Malay remains in the
Constitution. The Definition does not refer to ethnicity but a group of Muslims
in the peninsula who use the Malay language to communicate with each other, if
not with others.
The British made a serious error of
judgment when they codified the term Malay to cover Muslims from various parts
of Indonesia, India, China,
Arabia, and the West, in the peninsula, who
used Malay to communicate with each other and others. That has helped usher in
a collective amnesia of sorts on the past in a bid to carve out Malay
nationalism as a way forward.
If the people truly love Bahasa Malaysia, they
would habitually use the language at home along with their mother tongue and
English. At present, this happens among non-Malays only in Sabah,
albeit a la Bahasa Sabah. That's a different story. This is somewhat like
Filipino reigning in the Philippines
and Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia.
In Sarawak,
they have Bahasa Melayu a la Bahasa Sarawak or Sarawak Malay, also known as
Bahasa Orang Laut, which doesn't come across as Bahasa Melayu at all unlike
Bahasa Sabah. Even so, not all Sarawakians know Bahasa Sarawak.
This is particularly true deep in Orang Asal country.
Bahasa Malaysia, at the very pinnacle is
actually English, something many people aren't aware because they are only
familiar with the latter language in its original form, they are not
proficient, and certainly are no masters.
In any case, Sarawak
needs to focus on one language for the way forward. Still, at present, it's
neither here nor there in any language. Bahasa Malaysia
is virtually a dead end for Sarawak. In going
forward, it’s no longer about this or that language but a matter of choices.
It’s also important to make the right choice.
It's possible to be familiar in more
than one language. However, it's not possible to be proficient in more than one
language. It's impossible to master more than one language.
English opens the door to a world
which many people don't know exists. Only those who have mastered the English
language, or at least attained a certain level of proficiency in it, can
comprehend this. Those who are merely familiar with the English language won't
be able to envision, in a million years, what kind of world waits out there for
anyone who's comfortable in the language.
This is where Sarawak Chief Minister
Adenan Satem (see pix), like a latter day Prophet, is leading his people. He
has a vision of the future which has given the people renewed hope after
struggling with the Malay language in schools for over half a century and
getting nowhere in the process. However, Sarawak (Sabah
too) has yet to regain autonomy in education, among others, in its quest for
the return of Full Autonomy.
For starters, the Sarawak Government
will respond to letters in English in that language and no longer in Bahasa Malaysia.
English will return to the Sarawak Assembly too, a status which it has
maintained in the High Court of Borneo and at the Court of Appeal and the
Federal Court for cases originating from Sabah and Sarawak.
English has long returned to public universities throughout the country.
Adenan wants his people to enter the
Promised Language of the English language. Bahasa Malaysia has a choice i.e. whether
to come along or be left behind. After all, it's becoming more English by the
day, the Malay ethnic tag notwithstanding.
Picture Credit: the Star
