Ungku Aziz calls for changes to Bahasa Malaysia system

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ─ The government has been urged to make changes to the Bahasa Malaysia teaching and learning system as it is an objective of national education to create racial unity," said Royal Professor Ungku Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid.

He said changes to the system should involve all levels of school including primary, secondary and institutions of higher learning.

"Everyone needs to master two languages. Bahasa Malaysia is important to create unity while English is used to develop the country's economy," Ungku Aziz said in his keynote address at a seminar organised jointly by the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Education at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) today.

He said efforts to create unity via Bahasa Melayu were far from successful as students in institutions of higher learning did not use the language fully.

As such, the education ministry should come out with a learning system for Bahasa Malaysia so that students could start from the basic level up to university level.

"We want students to speak good Bahasa Malaysia, not a mixed version, and without the local lingo. With a correct teaching and learning system for Bahasa Malaysia, we can create racial unity," he added.

Meanwhile, Education Department director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the proposal to make changes to the system would be considered.

"I am impressed by what Pak Ungku (Ungku Aziz) had said. The Abdul Razak Report 1956 said the objective of education was to create unity.

"Unity is important and can be strengthened through Bahasa Malaysia," he said after opening the seminar.

Alimuddin said in the era of globalisation, the people should have good command of Bahasa Malaysia to unite the society via communication while English is important in international economics and politics. ─ Bernama