Is Thambi even a term that needs to be added in the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka?
After going viral for their official spelling of ‘kuetiau’, it seems that Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is yet again going viral but this time for seemingly all the wrong reasons. MIC Youth member Thiagaseelan Ganesan called out the organisation for their definition of the word “Thambi” which means younger brother in Tamil.
Based on the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka website, the definition for the word “tambi” is as follow:
- A term used for “Kelings” who are younger than us.
- Office workers (servers) or peons
“Tambi is not a Malay word then why is DBP providing a definition for it? What’s the justification for this definition? What’s the need to use ‘keling’ instead of ‘orang India’?”
For those who are still unaware, “Keling” is a racial slur used against Indians and used as a derogatory term against certain parts of the community. Facebook users expressed their anger and disappointment towards DBP and demanded an explanation from the organisation.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Thiagaseelan said that he wants DBP to give an explanation as to why a Tamil term has such a definition. Not only that, but he also wants to know why the definition given is so misleading.
We reached out to DBP themselves who clarified that the Head Director for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka will be releasing an official statement based on this issue.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Also read: “Not Koay Teow but KUETIAU” DBP Standardises BM Spelling For M’sia’s Fav Noodles
