Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the audit was aimed at examining the achievement of the objectives of the Action Plan to Uphold the Malay Language As An Academic Language in IPT, which was launched in 2011.
“The Malay Language Audit in IPTA will continue to be carried out in 2015 in all IPTA,” he said at the meeting of National Language Implementation Committee which he chaired at the Education Ministry here today.
Also present were Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, Deputy Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching, secretary-generals of ministries in key sectors, representatives of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) and non-governmental organisations.
Muhyiddin said the audit would be managed by the Education Ministry’s Higher Education Sector and DBP.
The deputy prime minister said many quarters, including Parliamentarians, Malay Language experts, scholars and teachers, as well as members of the public, had been voicing out their concerns over the status of Malay Language as the national language.
As the national language, he said Malay Language was not seen as it had been given priority in all official communications at the ministerial level, as well as in local authorities, statutory bodies and government-linked companies.
He said the government had issued a circular titled ‘Steps to Empower National Language in Official Communication in 2006’ and another circular titled ‘The Use of National Language in Public Service’ in 2011.
“However, in compliance with the circulars, it was found that the level and quality of the national language used in public service are still moderately good,” he said.
As such, he also called for proper usage of the Malay Language in all advertisement along the highways in the country.
In conjunction with the National Language Month 2014, which will be launched on Oct 14 in Putrajaya, Muhyiddin said it was hoped that all sectors of the national language implementation sub-committees would organised relevant language and literature activities to enliven the celebration of the month.
“I also hope to see an increase in the participation of the multi-racial people so that the process to develop a nation-state will be strengthened and felt by the people, and that the national language will become the catalyst for national unity,” he said.
Meanwhile, the meeting of the National Language Implementation Committee was convened today to scrutinise all follow-ups actions taken by its 12 sub-committees after the last meeting.
The sub-committees were involved in the sectors of education; public service; media and broadcasting; public places; trade and consumerism; finance and insurance; human resources; youth and sports; works; science, technology and innovation; tourism; and public sector ICT management.
The main committee was established on Nov 30, 2010, as a result of the Roundtable Discussion To Uphold The Status of Malay Language convened on April 27, 2010.
It was aimed at formulating plans and strategies to ensure that the status of Malay Language would be preserved, to ensure proper usage of the language in all areas and to organise relevant programmes and activities to take the language to greater heights.
— BERNAMA
