A local man recently took to social media to share how years of avoiding the Malay subject while he a student turned out to be the biggest regret of his life.
He said that this decision affected his ability to communicate with colleagues and adversely impacted every aspect of his life.
Was weak in the subject
In a lengthy Facebook post, the man named Vincent Tan wrote that since his primary school days, he always had trouble mastering Malay and this in turn made him dislike the subject intensely.
As such, he would not hand up his Malay homework on time and flunk every exam that involved the national language.
His parents tried to help by sending Vincent to Malay tuition classes but it didn’t turn his exam results for the better.
‘Ran away’ from Malay subject
When Vincent entered secondary school, he opted for an independent Chinese school as it only taught one Malay class and allowed him to avoid the subject for a majority of his studies.
For the next six years, he enjoyed being “free” from learning Malay but was eventually forced to face the dreadful truth when he sat for SPM.
When I held the paper, it recognised me, but I didn’t recognise it. For multiple-choice questions, I picked ‘A’ all the way. As for the essays, I copied the question and handed in my paper after just 30 minutes.”
Miraculously, Vincent managed to pass his SPM examinations, leading him to believe that he could continue running away from the Malay subject when he furthered his studies.
Although he initially wanted to go to Taiwan to study, Vincent eventually chose to stay in Malaysia after weighing his options.
Couldn’t communicate in Malay
Vincent was finally given a harsh dose of reality when he stepped into the working world and found out that almost every aspect of his life involved communicating in Malay.
“Many of my colleagues were Malay and when I ordered food, the staff mostly spoke Malay, and almost everything was conducted in Malay at government departments.
“Since Malay is Malaysia’s official language, most documents are primarily in Malay, where English translations were only an “addition,” not a guarantee.
“When I started my own business, I often had to hire runners to help with administrational tasks, documents, and procedures as I was extremely weak in Malay.”
‘Biggest regret’
Vincent said that he now deeply regrets his decision to not learn Malay properly, adding that he had no idea how badly he needed to proficient in it.
“Malaysia is a multicultural country and language is a bridge for communication. For a country to move toward unity and integration, there must be a common language. And that language is Malay.
“Language is not meant to make us forget our roots, limit development, or create division. It exists so that the people of a country can communicate better, understand one another, and live together,” he wrote.
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