Who are conducting this study and what mechanism has been devised to allow the fullest participation of the public, and in particular parents, teachers in schools and lecturers in universities.
It should be a sobering thought that after 12 years of implementing the Bahasa Malaysia baku pronunciation, and a generation of Malaysians educated in Bahasa Baku, the education policy is going to be reversed whereby this generation is going to find itself out-of-place in a world of non-baku speaking of Bahasa Malaysia.
After the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the Cabinet would decide on the issue next week when the Education Minister would table a report on his Ministry’s study on the use of Bahasa Malaysia baku pronunciation in schools.
How could it be possible for the Education Ministry to complete its
study when it was only yesterday that Musa invited public views on the
matter, and the agency and mechanism of such a study has still to be made
public?
Musa should ensure that the study undertaken by Education Ministry
on Bahasa Malaysia baku pronunciation is a strictly educational and linguistic
and not political, and that such a study is comprehensive and thorough
in allowing the fullest public participation and that a report is not rushed
out to meet the political agenda of anyone person or group as for instance,
to raise one’s political stocks in the forthcoming UMNO party elections
in May.
In this connection, has the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka been completely sidelined on the issue of Bahasa Malaysia baku pronunciation? Have they no role whatsoever in this study?
This would go against the intent of Parliament when it enacted the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act, as one of the statutory powers and responsibilities of DBP is "Membakukan ejaan dan sebutan dan membentuk istilah yang sesuai dalam bahasa kebangsaan".
Unless the DBP Act is amended to repeal this provision, DBP is the most suitable and qualified body to conduct the study of the use of Bahasa Malaysia baku pronunciation in schools and the Education Minister should commission the DBP to undertake such a task.
(28/1/2000)