Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wants all companies and universities to correspond with government agencies in the national language.
“Businesses will continue to operate as usual, primarily using English, but the requirement to communicate solely in Malay when corresponding with the government may affect our ranking on the ease of doing business index since it is primarily a perception index,” Ng told FMT. “Some subject matters may be better expressed in English, making it impractical to translate unless the companies involved have professional translators or employees proficient in both languages,” he added.
Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal commended the prime minister for encouraging the use of Bahasa Malaysia, but said it should not be made compulsory. Azran, a former eastern region director for the international trade and industry ministry, said the implementation of such a policy was long overdue as it would encourage proficiency in the national language.