“Can you speak BM, please?” – ADUNs Clash in Heated Exchange Over Use of English in Penang State Assembly

Tensions flared during the live broadcast of the Penang State Assembly on May 20 (Tuesday) when two state assemblypersons (ADUN) clashed after one of them called out the other for speaking in English instead of Bahasa Malaysia.

During the exchange, Datok Keramat ADUN Jagdeep Singh Deo responded mostly in Malay but occasionally mixed in English terms and sentences.

He answered a question in English

Jagdeep responded to a question from Komtar ADUN Teh Lai Heng, who asked about the state government’s efforts to attract more foreign investment, particularly in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

While addressing the rapid pace of technological advancement and the need to keep up, Jagdeep emphasised its importance of English.

“We’re looking at the transfer of technology to the rest of the world. The world is moving too fast. And we cannot be left behind, and we will not be left behind, at least not under our watch,” he said.

“Can you respond in Bahasa Malaysia, please?”

As Jagdeep tried to continue his speech, he was quickly cut off by Telok Ayer Tawar ADUN Azmi bin Alang, who told him to speak in Malay, which sparked laughter in the hall.

Jagdeep clapped back, saying he always starts his speeches in Bahasa Malaysia. He then took a jab at Azmi’s SPM results, particularly in the Bahasa Malaysia subject.

“What did you get for Bahasa Malaysia in SPM? Can you answer me? Do you even dare to? If you still don’t understand what I’m saying, I’ll teach you,” Jagdeep argued.

As the exchange heated up, the Speaker stepped in to calm things down and reminded Jagdeep to stick to Malay to keep the session on track.

You can watch the exchange down below:

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