In a distressing incident at UTC Komtar, Pulau Pinang, Shiang Cherng Saw, a Malaysian citizen's attempt to renew passports for his elderly parents turned into a frustrating ordeal.

While the renewal process for his father proceeded smoothly, the mother faced a different scenario due to her limited proficiency in Malay. According to the him, the service personnel stated that his mother couldn't renew her passport because she couldn't speak Malay, despite being a native Malaysian. "You tak boleh cakap Bahasa Melayu tak boleh renew passport. Sekarang kena jumpa officer esok pagi," the staff lamented. 

The staff insisted that she must meet an officer the next morning, emphasizing the need for Malay proficiency for passport renewal. The staff also remarked, "Mak you memang tak boleh cakap Bahasa Melayu ke? Dia kena boleh cakap Bahasa Melayu baru boleh renew Passport sebab sini MALAYSIA!"

The situation escalated when the mother was asked to speak Malay on the spot and was even challenged with basic tasks, such as identifying a calendar , all to prove her language proficiency. Shiang told them, "Yes Yes, mak I boleh cakap sikit sikit sahaja sebab dulu miskin tak sambung belajar," in an attempt to explain his mother's situation. Despite his attempts to reason with the staff, his concerns were met with indifference. 

This incident has sparked outrage not only among the affected family but also among fellow citizens present at the scene, who agreed that this was unreasonable. Shiang narrated his experience in a Facebook post, which has now gone viral. However, he did not clarify in his post what was his next course of action, or whether or not his mother managed to renew her passport after all. 

Last year, Zaik Malik, Director of Lawyers for Freedom (LFL), emphasized that Malaysian citizens are not required to demonstrate proficiency or mastery of the Malay language when applying for a passport. This was in response to a similar incident happening in 2023. (source)

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Source: Facebook