A mass debate has erupted on Twitter that started with a tweet from @smfarhan_ asking why Bahasa Malaysia is not the standardized language for interviews.
Interview session kat Korea kena ckp korea. Kat Thailand kena ckp thailand. Kat China kena ckp cina. Kat Malaysia kena ckp english atau prefer mandarin. Why? Konon baru ada standard la? Bahasa Malaysia tak standard la? Emm. Okay
— ᔕᗰᖴᗩᖇᕼᗩᑎ. (@smfarhan_) June 14, 2021
“Interview session in Korea requires you to speak Korean. In Thailand you have to speak Thailand. In China you have to speak Chinese. In Malaysia you have to speak English or preferably Mandarin. Why? As if only then there is a standard? Bahasa Malaysia isn’t the standard? Emm. Okay.”
He continues to voice his concern in the thread.
Dah duduk Malaysia tu belajar la bahasa Malaysia. Dilahirkan di Malaysia tu, kena la tahu bahasa Malaysia. Tak kesah mother tongue kau apa.
— ᔕᗰᖴᗩᖇᕼᗩᑎ. (@smfarhan_) June 16, 2021
You live in Malaysia, so learn Bahasa Malaysia. Being born in Malaysia, you must know Bahasa Malaysia. It doesn’t matter what your mother tongue is.”
Some of the locals supported his argument, saying that if the argument is not being fluent in the English language stops you from going into worldwide markets, why are other countries such as Japan and Korea successful despite using their national language?
Bayangkan ada org cakap kalau kita tak cakap English market kita tak boleh go worldwide. Pastu aku ckp, habis jepun dengan korea cakap bahasa diorang. Elok je company brand diorang satu dunia tahu. pic.twitter.com/yXDN0XFA7D
— Faiq?? (@fqrsln) June 15, 2021
“Oh my God, it’s so true!! Not only is English not our first language, but they (companies) also expect everyone to able to deliver the message in perfect English. When you can’t speak English fluently during the interview, you get rejected right away. Why?”
Ya Allah betul sangat!! Dah la english bukan bahasa pertama kita. Pastu depa expect yg semua org boleh nak sampaikan mesej dlm bahasa inggeris yg perfect. Bila cakap inggeris tak lancar masa iv, terus kena reject. Apakah?
— #palestinewillwin???? (@eyeshieldd21) June 15, 2021
“The reality is that jobs do in fact prioritize English over Bahasa Malaysia. It’s embarrassing because it’s (Bahasa Malaysia) written as the national and official language, not English. But of course, they (companies) see Bahasa Malaysia as a language that isn’t on the same level. The mentality has to stop”.
Hai. Realitinya pekerjaan mmg tgk bahasa Inggeris terlebih dahulu berbanding bahasa Melayu. Malu sebenarnya sbb dh tertulis bahasa kebangsaan & rasmi ialah bahasa Melayu bukan English. Tp yelah mereka melihat bm ni sbg bahasa yg tak setaraf ??♀️ pemikiran sebegini yg patut dicantas
— Yepeee (@yeshmefatin) June 16, 2021
However, this local countered the argument with his thoughts.
Jurang penguasaan ekonomi sgt bsar antara Malaysia dgn Jpn & Korea.Thailand terkenal kerana sektor pelancongannya. Jika mahu martabtkan bhasa Melayu, tnjukkan kbolhan rumpun nusantara ini dalm bidang yg penting. Kuasai lebih drpd st bhasa bukan bermksd x patriotik.
— jerou (@azrul_jerou) June 16, 2021
“The range of economic influence between Malaysia and Japan/Korea is too big. Thailand is well known for their tourism sector. If you want to prioritize Bahasa Malaysia, show its potential in important industries. Being fluent in more than one language does not equate to lack of patriotism.”
This user also shared the same opinion.
Let’s put it like this.. Country like China, Korea,Japan is metropolitan, semua dia ada.. dia x perlu tunduk pd negara lain. If u wanna deal with them, u fllow their rules. If wanna be like thm, make Msia strong baru bole sembang https://t.co/2TnqPTgoDi
— rudy shanley (@rodie_lee) June 15, 2021
“Countries like China, Korea and Japan is metropolitan, they already have everything and don’t need to bow down to other countries. If you wanna deal with them, you follow their rules. If you wanna be like them, make Malaysia strong, then we can talk.”
Do you think speaking Bahasa Malaysia should be compulsory for job interviews?
*Cover Image Credits: Unsplash Headway
Twitter: @smfarhan_
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