KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman yesterday said the public sector should not underestimate issues related to the use of Bahasa Melayu.
The private sector should also render its support and implement the correct use of Bahasa Melayu in its dealings with members of the public, Musa said when closing the 2014 State-level Student Forum competition held at SM Kian Kok near here.
The Chief Minister was represented by Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Pang Yuk Ming.
According to Musa, the use of ‘rojak’ language on signboards particularly in the advertising sector has given an image that there are still much that could be done to improve the use of Bahasa Melayu.
“This effort would require the support, awareness and feeling of love towards the Bahasa Melayu as the language of all Malaysians from all parties,” he said.
At the same time, he also urged all Sabah local governments to double their efforts to correct the signboards that utilise the ‘rojak’ language at their respective districts with the assistance of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
In his speech, Musa also said that Bahasa Melayu was the national and official language of the country and that this has been enshrined in the country’s legislation.
He added that that Bahasa Melayu was spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide and is being taught at higher learning institutions in the United Kingdom, USA, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and so on.
“This scenario shows that the use of Bahasa Melayu will continue to grow all over the world due to its non-static nature that allows the inclusion of new words in line with the development in knowledge and technology,” he said.
Meanwhile, SM Kian Kok won the forum competition with its entry entitled ‘Kuasa Alam: Mampukah Manusia Mengatasinya’ (Forces of nature: Can mankind overcome it). Also taking part were SM Tshung Tsin Sabah with its ‘Laman Sosial Ketagihan Remaja Kini’ (Social Network the addiction of teenagers today) and Sekolah Tinggi Cina Sabah Tawau with ‘Membaca Memerdekakan Minda’ (Reading liberates the mind).