KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has urged lawmakers to push for a parliamentary bill to make proficiency in the national language a necessary condition for Malaysian citizenship.
In a post on Facebook today, he referenced a recent incident where an Immigration officer refused to renew an individual’s passport because she could not fluently converse in Bahasa Malaysia.
Commending the Immigration officer’s actions, Akmal, who is also Merlimau assemblyman, said the influx of foreign nationals into Malaysia necessitates the implementation of a law where only those who can speak Bahasa Malaysia are afforded citizenship.
“I would like to congratulate the officer in question for their brave act, which has alerted many Malaysians.
“Today, we can see that a lot of foreign nationals are coming here, so (the Immigration officer) pulled a brave move to make sure that the passport applicant was really a Malaysian – even though there are no laws requiring Bahasa Malaysia proficiency for applicants.
“I urge government MPs or even those from the opposition to table a motion in Parliament to make sure that every Malaysian citizen is familiar with and proficient in Bahasa Malaysia.”
He also said it is “embarrassing” for Malaysians to not be fluent in their national language, considering how foreigners – such as those from Bangladesh and Myanmar – are able to converse in Bahasa Malaysia within a short amount of time.
“If Bangladeshis who come to Malaysia can speak in Bahasa Malaysia, what does it mean for those who claim to be citizens but are still unable to speak it?” he questioned.
On April 24, the Immigration Department said its officers are not allowed to reject applications solely based on their proficiency in the national language.
The department’s director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said although it is regular practice for Immigration officers to conduct checks from various angles when reviewing applications, such practices should be conducted professionally and courteously.
This came after reports of a man who was stopped from renewing his mother’s passport at an Urban Transformation Centre in Penang as she could not speak Bahasa Malaysia fluently.
Ruslin, however, clarified the customer in question had successfully renewed her passport and collected it on April 22. – April 25, 2024