No problem, PMX said, regarding the UEC. # Tidak ada masalah, kata PMX dalam soal UEC.

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Below is a clarification of what Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, with the English translation also provided:

“Semalam, keluar laporan berita bahawa kononnya PMX telah menolak tuntutan untuk mengiktiraf UEC.

Saya tidak pasti media mana yang pertama terbitkan laporan dengan tajuk ini, tetapi saya sendiri baca dalam Harian Metro. Perkara yang sama juga disiarkan dalam Utusan Malaysia.

Laporan-laporan ini adalah laporan mengenai komen PMX tentang isu UEC, yang dibuat selepas PMX solat Jumaat di Kedah pada hari Jumaat.

Bila saya baca, saya rasa ada tidak kena. Kerana ia terlalu keras, begitu muktamad dan tidak selari dengan pendekatan PMX sendiri dalam isu ini. 

Ditambah pula, ia tidak dicerminkan dalam laporan Bernama mengenai jawapan PMX dalam kejadian yang sama.

Maka, saya dapat transkrip verbatim apa yang sebenarnya dikatakan. Dan betul apa saya syak; apa yang dilaporan tidak menggambarkan apa yang PMX sebut.

Apa yang jelas melalui transkrip itu adalah, PMX menekankan keutamaan bahasa Melayu. Kemudian, setelah ini ditekankan, bahasa lain boleh diperkasakan. PMX ingatkan mengenai Perlembagaan Persekutuan, dan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan.

Tetapi, PMX juga akui bahasa lain juga penting.

“Umpamanya, apakah ada keperluan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris yang lebih baik?”

“Jawapannya ya. Apakah keperluan mengajar Bahasa Inggeris di beberapa bidang baru

di sekolah, di universiti? Jawabnya ya.”

“Bahkan keperluan untuk tingkatkan

penggunaan bahasa Cina di beberapa kursus di universiti? Tak ada masalah, termasuk soal UEC.”

“Berikutnya, Bahasa Arab. Kita ada Fakulti Islam, Fakulti Pengajian Islam di banyak universiti. Jadi, kita mahu supaya kursus dalam bahasa Arab juga diberikan peluang dan kesempatan. Kalau begitu, ada beberapa kuliah khas bahasa Tamil, boleh digunakan.”

Langsung tidak ada dalam kenyataan PMX bahawa UEC, atau apa-apa bahasa lain ditolak terus. Boleh tengok rakaman video jika tidak percaya. 

Utusan sudah betulkan tajuk. Harian Metro dan Berita Harian, padam terus laporan yang menyimpang daripada apa yang PMX sebut.

Tetapi, “berita” asal sudah viral. Banyak media online terus ambil laporan media kononnya PMX tolak UEC. Oh My Media. Lumi News. Lain-lain lagi, termasuk media bahasa Cina.

Portal media ini tidak berada di tempat kejadian. Mereka ambil dari berita yang awal keluar. Bila berita awal keluar dipadam/dibetulkan, mereka tidak betulkan.

Maka keluarlah segala macam respons berkisar pada tajuk bahawa PMX tolak UEC. 

Dalam bahasa Melayu, dikatakan PMX tegas. 

Dalam bahasa Inggeris, dikatakan PMX ‘isytihar perang’ pada bukan Melayu. 

Saya tidak pasti reaksi dalam bahasa Cina.

Portal seperti Lumi News sudahpun padam siaran yang mereka ambil daripada media lain mengenai “PMX tolak UEC”. Tetapi imej yang mereka jana sudah “mengembara” dan menjadi “dokumen sokongan” dalam posting menghentam PM dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Ini trend yang amat membahayakan. Apa yang PMX tidak sebut, dilaporkan sebagai kebenaran, tanpa pengesahan tentang sama ada PMX ada sebut atau tidak. Dan dalam era clickbait dan rage baiting, tajuk sensasi amat mudah untuk viral. Bukan kali pertama ini terjadi. 

Anda boleh tengok semula video penuh yang ada - tidak ada satu kenyataan sekalipun di mana beliau (PMX) tolak terus UEC.

Isu ini mengundang pelbagai reaksi. Dan jika diteliti jawapan PMX, beliau cukup berhati-hati dalam memberi respons. Beliau tahu jika tidak, apa yang disebut pasti akan mengundang kemarahan komuniti A. Kalau cakap salah komuniti B pula marah.

Malangnya, lenggok bahasa dan nuansa PMX dalam menjawab perkara ini langsung hilang dalam kecelaruan laporan media. 

—-

[in English]

Yesterday, news reports came out claiming that PMX rejected the push to recognise the UEC.

I’m not sure which media outlet first published the report with this headline, but I personally read it in Harian Metro. A similar headline was also published in Utusan Malaysia.

These reports were about PMX’s comments on the UEC issue, made after Friday prayers in Kedah.

When I read them, I felt something was not right. The wording was too harsh, too absolute, and did not align with PMX’s own approach to this issue.

Furthermore, this was not reflected in Bernama’s report on PMX’s response at the same event.

So, I obtained the verbatim transcript of what was actually said. And my suspicion was correct: what was reported did not reflect what PMX actually said.

What is clear from the transcript is that PMX emphasised the priority of the Malay language. Then, after this was emphasised, other languages can be strengthened. PMX reminded everyone about the Federal Constitution and Malay as the national language.

However, PMX also acknowledged that other languages are important.

“For example, is there a need for better mastery of English?”

“The answer is yes. Is there a need to teach English in some new fields in schools, in universities? The answer is yes.”

“In fact, the need to enhance the use of Chinese in several university courses? No problem, including the issue of the UEC.”

No problem, PMX said, regarding the UEC.

“Next, Arabic. We have Islamic faculties, Faculties of Islamic Studies in many universities. So we want to ensure that Arabic-language courses are also given opportunities. If so, some special Tamil-language lectures can also be used.”

There was absolutely nothing in PMX’s statement suggesting that the UEC, or any other language, was outright rejected. You can watch the video recording if you do not believe so

Utusan has already corrected its headline. Harian Metro and Berita Harian have deleted the reports that misrepresented what PMX said.

But the original “news” has already gone viral. Many online media simply picked up the early reports claiming that PMX rejected the UEC. Oh My Media. Lumi News. Others as well, including Chinese-language media.

These portals were not present at the event. They took information from the initial reports. When those initial reports were deleted or corrected, they did not update theirs.

And thus came all kinds of responses based on the headline that PMX rejected the UEC.

In Malay, it was said that PMX was firm.

In English, it was said that PMX “declared war” on non-Malays.

I’m not sure about the reaction in Chinese.

Portals like Lumi News have already deleted the posts they took from other media on “PMX rejecting the UEC”. But the images they produced have already “travelled” and become “supporting documents” in posts attacking the PM in English.

This is an extremely dangerous trend. What PMX did not say was reported as truth, without any verification of whether he said it or not. And in the era of clickbait and rage baiting, sensational headlines go viral very easily. This is not the first time this has happened.

You can rewatch the full video; there is not a single statement where he (PMX) rejects the UEC outright.

This issue has triggered various reactions. And if you examine PMX’s response, he was very careful in answering. He knows that if care is not taken, whatever he says will certainly provoke anger from community A. And if he says something else, community B will be angry.

Unfortunately, PMX’s tone and nuance in addressing this issue were completely lost amid the shambolic nature of media reporting of this episode.”

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