Mandarin statement by finance minister ‘just an honest mistake’, says Dr Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad came to the defence of his Finance Minister on Monday (June 25) following an uproar by some groups after Mr Lim Guan Eng issued government statements in Mandarin.

Dr Mahathir said his Cabinet colleague had made “a mistake” and that the issue was blown out of proportion.

“It was just a mistake, it wasn’t intentional,” he said.“It was just an honest mistake, I don’t think it should be made into an issue.”

The Finance Ministry has begun issuing statements in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin soon after Mr Lim was appointed minister last month.

Last Thursday, Mr Lim held a press conference and issued a written statement containing policy updates on the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) project - which is linked to scandal-plagued 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) - in three languages before attracting criticism from a Facebook page aligned to the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

“On May 12, Lim had said he was a Malaysian and not ethnic Chinese but on June 24, Lim said he would continue to issue official statements in Chinese.

“If Lim wants to issue in Chinese, why did he not admit he was an ethnic Chinese then? Doesn’t he know he as finance minister may get the title of forked tongue?” the post on the Friends of BN page reads.

Other critics - which includes leaders vying for top posts in the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) internal election this weekend - have charged that Mr Lim did not respect Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.

Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, who has thrown his hat in the ring for Umno's presidency race, said on Monday (June 25) the use of Mandarin in government statements was "indefensible" and out of the "norm".

"This is not just a matter of challenging them to use the official language of the Federation, but this has ruined efforts to unite the nation under a common language," he said in a statement.

Mr Khairy said it is not his intention to bar the use of other languages in Malaysia because that is an individual right.

“However the federal government must be an example to uphold the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language," said the former Umno youth chief.

Johor Umno chief Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is eyeing one of the three vice-presidents' posts, expressed "regret" with the Finance Ministry's move.

"That action is very rude, insulting and demeans the position of the Malay language, which is a foundational matter not just in the Federal Constitution, but in all government matters and practices."

Mr Khaled said the matter had "indirectly invited the wrath and unease" of the public and said it was an example of Mr Lim’s "arrogance".

"To make matters worse, he (Lim) said just after his appointment as Finance Minister, 'I am not Chinese, I am Malaysian," Mr Khaled said, calling those comments a "political gimmick".

"If he is not fluent, or unsure about the meaning or usage of Malay, Lim Guan Eng can always obtain the service of government agencies such as Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka or the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books," Khaled added.

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language and Malay-language literature in Malaysia.

However, Mr Lim has hit back at his critics, pointing out that the federal constitution allowed the use of the Chinese language in official statements and that many of the restrictions and rules of the old regime do not apply in new Malaysia.

In a statement in response, also written in Chinese, Mr Lim said the use of another language showed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government recognised the advantages of being multilingual and globalisation.

“According to the federal constitution, no one can stop another person from communicating in, teaching or learning another language.

“In the spirit of the constitution, what is wrong with issuing statements in Chinese or in other languages?" he asked.

Mr Lim said his critics were “racists” and he would not give in to them.

“The Finance Ministry’s statements will continue to be issued in Chinese and English,” he said.

“Malaysia baru (new Malaysia) is inclusive and about being respectful to one another other. While we uphold Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, we must also master other languages to increase our ability to compete."

The issue has also split allies in Mr Lim's Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Perak Amanah vice-chairman Muhaimin Sulam reminded Mr Lim that being a minister is akin to being a national symbol, and that his recent actions reeked of racism.

“The official statement by the Finance Minister in Mandarin was an act of racism and was not sensitive. The voice and post as DAP (Democratic Action Party) secretary-general should be in line with the spirit and government’s philosophy that he is currently part of."

However, the minister's party colleagues came to his defence.

Mr Chow Yu Hui, an assemblyman from the district of Tras in Pahang, said the move to issue an official statement in the Chinese language is meant for convenient information transfer between government agencies and the media.

“The decision for Lim to issue trilingual statements was meant for the Chinese language media because it would help prevent information from being lost in translation due to the specific jargon used.

“By issuing statements in the Chinese language, this also shows the new government respects the language and culture diversity of Malaysia,” he wrote on his Facebook.

In hitting out at Mr Lim's critics, Mr Chow said the accusations lobbed at the minister were racist in nature because he had also included statements in both the national language and English.

“So why are they accusing him of disrespecting the national language?

“It has to be made clear that issuing Chinese language statements does not mean the total abolishment of Bahasa Malaysia language and the Facebook page accusing Lim of such action is without basis.

“The facts are different altogether as claimed... this is reflective of Umno’s longstanding smear tactics and it seems Umno has not learned its lesson after its defeat in GE14,” he said. AGENCIES