IT was a storm in a teacup. The 23 doctors at the centre of the controversy could have been required to sit for and pass the SPM Bahasa Melayu paper at the outset – that is before they were hired on a contractual basis. They should not have been allowed any waiver.
It is true that when an exemption is made in one particular instance, it would encourage others to seek waivers. It would, even in the medium term, undermine the position of Bahasa Malaysia as the official language. In this regard, the Cabinet did the right thing in reiterating a pass in Bahasa Malaysia as a pre-requisite for all appointments in the public sector.
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