Don’t Be Ashamed to Speak Malay, Be a Proud Malaysian

A society can lose its confidence when it feels the need to hide its language, customs and history.

Antonio Gramsci, through his concept of hegemony, explained how power can be sustained when society accepts the authority of a dominant group as something normal.

This influence does not necessarily come through coercion. It can also develop when certain standards and values are accepted without question.

This helps explain how feelings of inferiority towards one’s own culture can develop. When foreign languages are frequently associated with intelligence and progress, while one’s own language is regarded as outdated, such perceptions eventually become deeply embedded in people’s minds.

Individuals may begin to doubt their own heritage without realising how these perceptions were formed.

Syed Hussein Alatas discussed a similar issue in The Myth of the Lazy Native (1977). He examined how negative portrayals of Malay, Javanese and Filipino communities were used within the ideology of colonial capitalism to justify domination and unfair labour practices.

Portrayals that appeared to be assessments of a society’s attitudes were, in reality, also used to protect colonial interests.

When such portrayals are accepted as truth, the standards by which progress is measured can change. Society no longer merely seeks to overcome its weaknesses but instead begins to believe that success depends on how closely it resembles others.

However, defending one’s culture does not mean accepting everything without critical evaluation.

Constructive criticism identifies problems, presents evidence and seeks ways to improve. Cultural insults, on the other hand, treat one’s origins as a defect, as though an entire society is unworthy of respect simply because of certain weaknesses.

We can reject injustice committed in the name of custom without discarding the wisdom contained in tradition. History can also be corrected without regarding the entire past as a mistake.

Language is among the most important areas in this discussion. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, through Decolonising the Mind (1986), connected language with culture, history and identity. Language is not merely a tool for conveying information; it also shapes how a society understands its experiences and its place in the world.

Words such as budi (virtue and moral character), amanah (trust and responsibility) and muafakat (consensus and mutual agreement) carry distinct social experiences and moral considerations. Their meanings can be translated, but the depth of their context requires further explanation. Other languages also possess rich intellectual traditions that deserve to be studied.

Therefore, proficiency in foreign languages should be viewed as an advantage that provides access to new knowledge and experiences. Problems arise when such skills are used as a measure of a person’s social standing.

Fluency in a foreign language does not necessarily demonstrate breadth of thought.

In Malaysia, we should examine whether an argument receives attention because of the strength of its reasoning or because of the language used. An idea should not automatically be regarded as more authoritative simply because it uses foreign terminology. The true measure should be based on factual accuracy, depth of thought and honesty in evaluating evidence.

At the same time, the national language must continue to be enriched through its use in research, science, law, philosophy and technology.

Source: Opinion Desk – Utusan

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR SHAHRUL MIZAN ISMAIL
Faculty of Law,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia