Proposal on BM credit for poll candidates 'too much'
Published on: Thursday, May 07, 2015
Tenom: The proposal that the Election Commission (EC) require future election candidates to have at least a credit in Bahasa Malaysia in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination is too much, according to Parti Kebangsaan Sabah (PKS) Vice President Sylvester Mutang Dawat. Mutang on Wednesday said it is not only too much but has also turned away from the Federal Constitution and EC regulations.He said weaknesses found in people's representatives are not caused by them not having credit in Bahasa Malaysia but is because of their own personal weaknesses.ADVERTISEMENT "Many leaders in Sabah and Sarawak in the 1960s were able to manage the independence of both states in the Borneo region when they joined to form Malaysia in 1963 despite SPM and Bahasa Malaysia not existing at that time," he said. "We are not sure whether the people chose their representative because of their fluency in Bahasa Malaysia as part of the requirement and not based on good leadership and background."Even though there are several people's representatives who are not fluent in the language, their presentation capabilities can still be understood clearly."Thus, in this context, PKS does not agree with the proposal because it not only contradicts with the law but in terms of democracy it denies people's rights to contest in elections," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Mutang is also of the opinion that if the proposal becomes a legal requirement then many people would lose their rights to contest in elections. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"It should be reminded that the power to elect someone as a people's representative is based on decision made by the people who choose based on their confidence towards the leadership and authority of their representative," he said.
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"What is the meaning of a leader with credit in Bahasa Malaysia if they do not have good leadership skills and fail to be the voice of the people?" he asked.