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National Language To Unite All</a>
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Published on <span>Wednesday, 15 October 2014 09:43</span> </dd></dl>
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<p><span class="" style="display:inline-block;line-height:0.5;vertical-align:top;background-color:rgb(242,242,242);text-align:left;width:272px;float:left;margin-right:20px;margin-bottom:20px"><img style="margin: 0px;" src="http://328744392.r.worldcdn.net/images/stories/new/Iqbaal/Iqbaal2/Tan_Sri_Muhyiddin_Yassin_left_presenting_a_mock_cheque_to_2014_science_and_technology_novelist_winner_Mat_Rofa_Ismail.____-NST_pic.jpg" alt="Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (left) presenting a mock cheque to 2014 science and technology novelist winner Mat Rofa Ismail. -NST pic" height="208" width="260"><span class="" style="display:inline-block;line-height:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:8pt;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;padding:4px 8px;margin:0px">Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (left) presenting a mock cheque to 2014 science
and technology novelist winner Mat Rofa Ismail. -NST pic</span></span>PUTRAJAYA:
THE national language is the strongest unifying factor, irrespective of
race or religion. It also plays an important role in bridging the gap
between the nation’s multi-ethnic community, said Deputy Prime Minister
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.</p>
<p>He said upholding the national language was, thus, paramount. He
added that there was a need to improve on the use of Bahasa Malaysia
under the National Language Policy.</p>
<p>“Year after year, I have never failed to observe that the value and
usage of our national language differs from one group to another.</p>
<p>“This has slowed the government’s pace in making the national language as a language of unity in the nation.”</p>
<p>Muhyiddin, who is also the education minister, urged all Malaysians,
regardless of race, to place a higher value on the national language to
ensure its development and to move forward as a nation.</p>
<p>“Using Bahasa Malaysia will allow us to achieve our objective, which
is to use the national language to foster unity among Malaysians under
the policy.”</p>
<p>He said this at the launch of the national-level National Language
Month at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.</p>
<p>Citing developed countries such as France, Germany, China and South
Korea, Muhyiddin said Malaysia should follow in their footsteps as these
countries gave a high priority to their national languages.</p>
<p>Muhyiddin said the government was still committed in using Bahasa
Malaysia as the medium of instruction in local universities. A study is
being carried out at six local universities for using the language.</p>
<p>This, he said, was an initiative under the Malaysian Educational
Development Plan 2013-2025 to empower the usage of the national
language.</p>
<p>“For the early stages, the universities are audited by Dewan Bahasa
dan Pustaka (DBP) and soon, the Bahasa Malaysia IPT audit will be
conducted in all local universities.”</p>
<p>He also said the action plan might be extended to private
universities to ensure that the use of the national language was not
compromised in the learning and teaching process of those institutions.</p>
<p>Muhyiddin also stressed the proper and correct usage of Bahasa
Malaysia on signboards, billboards and other advertising platforms.</p>
<p>“The citra bahasa (portrayal of the language) in public places
requires the dedication of local authorities in enforcing advertising
laws, which outlines the priority of the national language to be used on
billboards, the names of businesses, buildings, and other places.”</p>
<p>He said the increase in naming of housing estates, markets,
warehouses and institutions that did not reflect proper portrayal of
Bahasa Malaysia was alarming.</p>
<p>Muhyiddin said the 67th National Local Government Meeting, which he
chaired on March 4, had agreed that private and government agencies were
required to obtain confirmation and a certificate of approval from DBP
before posting billboards in public places.</p>
<p>“I hope all local authorities will enforce this requirement to ensure
advertisers and any parties requesting to display something in public
comply with the regulations.”</p>
<p>Muhyiddin said the challenge to make the national language the lingua
franca of knowledge and thought had become difficult with the existence
of new media, which was prone to be free from all norms of decency,
behaviour and language.</p>
<p>Besides encouraging good manners, he said the media should also play
its role as an agent of society, or socialisation, through the use of
quality and organised language.</p>
<p>The national-level National Language Celebration Month is held
annually, and this year’s celebration began last month, and will end in
November.</p>
<p>One of the objectives of the campaign is to strengthen and promote
the usage of Bahasa Malaysia as it would help to foster unity among the
people.</p>
<p>Present were social and cultural affairs adviser to the government
Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, DBP director-general Datuk Dr Awang Sariyan,
education director-general Datuk Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof, Public Service
director-general Tan Sri Zabidi Zainal and Putrajaya Corporation
president Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat.</p>
<p><em>-NST</em><br><em><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/node/43080">http://www.nst.com.my/node/43080</a></em></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************
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