LETTER | PM speaks not substance but with audience in mind

LETTER | I agree with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that even though English is not the official language of the country but Malay, there is a need to master the former.

I also agree that both languages must be mastered in the larger interest of the progress of the nation as a whole.

Whether one likes the English language or not, it is the language of science and technology and international communication.

Malaysians aspiring to take careers in science and technology must master the English language.

While Anwar is right on the need to master the English language, it was he a few weeks ago who asked government departments to reject letters written in languages other than Malay.

This gungho nationalistic stand was at odds with some public universities where English was the medium of instruction and in schools where there was an option to learn science and mathematics in the English language.

Although English is not the second official language in the de jure sense it has a de facto status in the country.

In only a matter of a few weeks, Anwar, without realising what he might have said about the Malay-only policy in government departments, has come out to defend the importance of English and the need to master it.

What can I say about the contradictory stand of Anwar on the question of language policy?

However, for him to direct government departments to reject letters in other languages including English and at the same to encourage them to master the English language is no contradiction to him.

It is the way he deals with different kinds of audiences in the country and abroad.

Seeking to endear himself

In a completely Malay/Muslim audience, he is nationalist or Islamist par excellence. In the Arab circles, he is the champion of the Palestinian cause including the support for Hamas.

In a non-Malay audience, he is a man for all seasons. He speaks the language they are comfortable with. By throwing in some references to ancient scripts, he seeks to endear himself to them - Indians or Chinese.

He imparts messages that the audience prefers.

In the international arena, he speaks of affirmative action immaterial of ethnicity or religion, but in Malaysia, he will defend the quota system for the Malays immaterial of their consequences.

For him, the removal of the quota system of entry into public universities will breach the social contract that he has failed to explain to date.

Moreover, he warned the young non-Malay students that the removal of the quota system would give rise to a worse form of government than the present one. As though the present Madani government is any better than the last governments or superior to the future emerging ones.

The problem with Anwar is that he thinks that whatever he says, people might just love him.

But he doesn’t realise that his audience might compare notes to regretfully realise that Anwar speaks to his audience rather than focus on the substance of his delivery.

This perhaps is one of the main reasons why the popularity of Anwar as the prime minister has plummeted in the last year or so.

He is like the French Emperor Louis Napoleon Bonaparte who projected the idea he was a friend of all classes in society.

In the end, he turned out to be the captive emperor of the burgeoning capitalist class.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.