By Datuk Dr Fauziah Mohd Taib
May 12, 2019 @ 1:08am
Datuk Dr Fauziah Mohd Taib
THE new Malaysia is an activist-oriented government. It responds to the calls of the activists, which means that the government is more sensitive to people than ever before. But

activists are also idealists, and sometimes they can’t see the forest for the trees. An activist’s job is to campaign for a course and to convince the management that his goal is what the people want.

What’s done is done. We acceded to the Rome Statute, then reversed ourselves. Just because we are not in the ICC does not mean we do not ascribe to the finer points of its existence. We can always enhance our judicial system so that we are in line with international norms. All is not lost. For now we just need to move on.

The writer is Malaysia’s former ambassador to the Netherlands and Malaysia’s Observer to the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute from 2008 to 2014

“In the 1950s and 1960s, the debates about the Malay and Chinese languages were more about race.

“In 2018, the question is about Malay as the national language, and Chinese as a very strategic language of commerce.

“As long as the position of the Malay language as the national language is accepted without question, mastery of other languages should be supported, and I propose that Malays youths master the Chinese language as an important language of commerce in this region,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today reiterated the government's stand on the use of Bahasa Malaysia in all official matters.

However, he said, in certain circumstances, translation to other languages, such as English, had to be made to cater for foreigners attending official functions or events.

"Our constitution has provided for all our needs on protecting the national language, but sometimes, translation to other languages has to be made. However, the official one is in Bahasa Malaysia because the translated version is not official … what is right and can be taken to court is the one written in Bahasa Malaysia.