Anwar: ‘Not a zero‑sum game’ as language mastery broadens unity and opportunity

PERMATANG PAUH, Aug 29 — Efforts to uphold Malay, the country’s official language, should not be seen as an attempt to undermine proficiency in other languages, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said every citizen, regardless of racial background, should have a good command of the national language, while at the same time, proficiency in other languages such as English, Mandarin and Tamil should continue to be strengthened to broaden educational and economic opportunities.

“We also know that English is a language that has developed into an important global language, so our system should embrace it, not replace Malay but complement it,” he said in his speech at the Ambang Merdeka Sahabat Madani 2026 highlight programme at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Permatang Pauh here today.

Elaborating, Anwar said proficiency in Mandarin was becoming increasingly important given its position as one of the region’s major economic languages, while Malaysians were also interested in improving their proficiency in Tamil.

“It is not a zero-sum game. I encourage children to master the Chinese language, provided that their command of Malay is sufficiently good. Learning the languages of the region does not put us at a disadvantage.

“It’s an economic imperative to secure your own interest and your future. It is not done at the expense of English or American English. It is done to give you further opportunity to enhance and develop your potential,” he said.

The Prime Minister also reminded the people not to sow seeds of hostility among the races, as the country’s harmony cannot be taken for granted as something that will last forever without consistent efforts to preserve unity.

He stressed that a spirit of sharing, caring and helping one another must be instilled so that every citizen, regardless of race, can enjoy the benefits of the country’s development in an inclusive manner. — Bernama