May 16, 2012

Brunei - Understanding Malay important for Brunei citizenship applicants


BEING truly familiar with the Malay Language should be an obligatory requirement for those applying for citizenship in Brunei.

At the first day of the induction briefing for candidates of the Malay Language test yesterday, Hj Mohd Rafee Hj Shahif, a lecturer from the Academy of Brunei Studies (APB) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) who delivered a presentation on the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), said that for candidates seeking citizenship, it is important they know how to speak and use the Malay Language.

"The test itself is not important if it cannot be guaranteed that the candidates can really speak and use the Malay language. For me, it is obligatory that those who want to be citizens of Brunei to know the Malay language," said Hj Mohd Rafee.

"They must know the Malay language, understand it and know how to speak and write it," he added.

"What we don't want is, after they (the candidates) pass the test they do not use the language and forget about it. We want them to be able to practise the Malay language,"he stressed.

"It is sad to see that there are Bruneian Malay children who do not know (how to use) Malay, even those who are educated in higher education institutes".

Hj Mohd Rafee explained that one of the reasons why Bruneian Malays do not practise Malay and even forget its use, is because of the gap that takes place after students sit for GCE 'O' Level exams.

"This is due to a gap. We make studying the Malay Language obligatory during 'O' level. But after that, they (the students) stop studying the Malay language and once they enter university it seems like they have forgotten how to speak and write Malay," he lamented.

For candidates of the Malay language test, he hoped that their ability to speak and understand Malay would not be evaluated based only on the test results.

"Does the test actually tell how well a person can speak or apply the Malay language?" asked Hj Mohd Rafee. It has to be understood that the ability to speak and understand speakers of the Malay language are two separate matter.

"How we want to determine whether or not that person is suitable for citizenship and how well they know how to use the Malay language, needs to be further looked into,"he said. Nurhamiza Hj Roslan The

Brunei Times



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