Non-Malays school Teo Kok Seong: Grand BM mastery worthless if one also plunders nation’s wealth

Non-Malays school Teo Kok Seong: Grand BM mastery worthless if one also plunders nation’s wealth

NATIONALIST Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong was recently ridiculed by non-Malay netizens for his seemingly lopsided gauge of patriotism – Malaysian citizenship holds no meaning if a citizen fails to master Bahasa Malaysia (BM) as the national language.

To the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) principal fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies, BM proficiency should be fundamental for every citizen as it is not only the national language but also the official language mandated for use within the nation’s administrative system.

Describing the failure of some citizens to master the Malay language as a major issue during the “Nation-State Dialogue: Building Character and National Identity” session in Bangi on Wednesday (Sept 23), he further asserted:

“If a regulation were implemented today to test every holder of a blue identity card on their Malay language skills and proficiency, I believe many would fail. There’re still many Malaysians – despite holding citizenship – who don’t possess a good command of the country’s language.”

Utusan Online

on Wednesday

Kerakyatan Malaysia tidak membawa sebarang makna sekiranya seseorang warganegara itu gagal menguasai Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan.

Klik link: https://www.utusan.com.my/…/apa-erti-kerakyatan-jika-tidak…/

Whether this is an “old story told over and over again” or otherwise, it is surely music to the ears of the rightist’s fraternity who hailed the National Professors Council’s (MPN) senior fellow for championing their mother tongue with one praising the good dean for “speak the truth, even if the truth is bitter.”.

“These tribes don’t actually love nor ever been grateful living in Malaysia,” another hit out with one lambasted that Mandarin is seemingly lingua franca of the Malaysian job market these days.

“What I find baffling is that you have to speak Mandarin to apply for a job. What the hell … just speak Malay for we’re living in Malaysia,” he fumed while another mocked what is there to be expected “when one is educated in a foreign language from a young age, then continuing their studies in Australia, Taiwan and America”.


Two sides of the coin

This is when one Johorean from Muar gave a somehow prized tit-for-tat response that “citizenry ship entails not stealing the nation’s money and remaining loyal to the King”.

“What is the point of being a Malaysian citizen who’s proficient in the Malay language if one betrays one’s own country by harbouring ill-intents to topple the Malay ruler? (an insinuation of the Negeri Sembilan royal row said to be masterminded by UMNO),” he jibed.

Another seconded that while “many are doubtlessly fluent in Malay, they eventually become traitors to their nation by smuggling in illegal immigrants, trafficking drugs or accepting bribes that cause financial loss to the government”.

“While Malay language proficiency is a responsibility for citizens, it’s not the sole indicator of loyalty to the country,” justified the self-proclaimed “Hard Core Malaysian”.

However, the rightist faction did not take kindly such retort with one music fan bluntly asked “doesn’t China, too, face instances of state funds being stolen” while another reminded that “not embezzling land and offering bribes to secure projects are as important to become a Malaysian citizen”.

Others harped on the on-going Lim Guan Eng Penang undersea tunnel court trial as example of Chinese embezzlement while defying the Selangor ruler’s decree against pig farming or opposing the Agong’s (house arrest) pardon for incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib are deemed treacherous.

At the end of the day, a Penangite took a potshot at the 73-year-old Bachok, Kelantan-born Peranakan (Straits) Chinese academician for his unending quest of presumably playing to the tune of the rightists.

“Don’t the person people who spout nonsense like this have any other topics to discuss? He seems to think he’s the only Chinese person who can speak the Malaysian language.”

Another added:

I wonder what’s the percentage of people are completely unable to speak Malay? After all, everyone attends school with the majority complete their SPM (which includes written and oral Malay exams).

There’s only a small handful – specifically older individuals not born here – who’re completely unable to speak it (BM). Are certain quarters deliberately exploiting this issue to gain political mileage?” – Sept 26, 2026