PUTRAJAYA: I am a product of a Chinese school, and I speak Bahasa Melayu well, says Nga Kor Ming.
The Housing and Local Government Minister said that fluency in the Malay language should not be difficult for Malaysians, regardless of their schooling system.
He said this to the media on Tuesday (Jan 20) here, following the 2026 Majlis Amanat with the Housing and Local Government Ministry staff and local authorities.
On Monday (Jan 19), His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, decreed that Bahasa Malaysia, the national language, must continue to receive priority during his royal address at the opening of the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament.
"It is not an issue. As Malaysians, we should be fluent in our national language.
"As an example, I am a product of Chinese school. I am still learning Chinese, but I feel my Bahasa Melayu ability is at a satisfactory level. The spirit of Malaysianness should be strengthened.
"We should not forget that we are also on the global stage and we should uplift Bahasa Melayu. At the same time, we should also strengthen our English, Chinese and other languages as diversity is our edge.
"Never lose our competitive edge - which is our ability to be fluent in many languages. I myself can speak six languages and I am not considered to be among the clever ones," said Nga.
He, however, did not elaborate the six languages he speaks.
He said that the Housing and Local Government Ministry ensures its staff are fluent not only in Bahasa Melayu but also in English.
On Jan 19, Sultan Ibrahim said the national education system must be strengthened as the foundation for nation-building, national identity and the country’s future.
On Dec 12, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that any calls for recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate and other languages must take into account the fact that Bahasa Malaysia is the country’s national language.
Anwar said the position of the language as contained in the Federal Constitution would continue to be defended and supported.
