Disunity in City of Unity.

Tan Sri Adenan Satem during the 27th Sarawak Independence Day in Kuching told that as Sarawakian we have to be proud historically as Kuching had been chosen as the first City of Unity in the world. Based on fews criteria, Kuching had been declared as the perfect city to represent unity in diversity. This was an award towards Kuching as a city that represent Malaysia as country of diversity.

As the City of Unity, the diversities can be shown through similarity that we share in normal life. Malaysian have varieties of food, but some of us cannot eat all the food. So food was rejected as solid similarity. So does religion. As a multiethnic country we were freely given the right to follow any religion with Islam as official religion as state in Perkara 3 (1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan. By that, we can not put religion as our product of similarity.

So what thing we share in common? Flag? 1Malaysia? Identity Card?.

None of these matter. We as Malaysian, do share the similarity through our own language. Yes, we do have a variety of languages. All races, all ethnics have our own language that we must shall defence. Yet, we as Malaysian were also must be proud to state that the Malay language as Malaysian language. Yes, we do need to protect our own ethnic mother tongue, but still we need to inculcate Malaysian to proudly know and use Malay as our national language. This is our similarity that we must fight for to keep our togetherness.

Sadly, what Tan Sri Adenan Satem on 17 November 2015 said to all Sarawakian that Sarawak will use English together with Malay language as an official language in Sarawak, a place where we declare our City Of Unity. Even through the Act 20 points of the Agreement with Sabah and Sarawak were allowing this to happen, but still the justification was not strong in the country who beneath the slogan unity in diversities.

Without denying the fact that English was the global language that will enhance Malaysian to achieve success in future, putting the English as an official language in a country was totally a wrong decision ever made. During the declaration of using English as an official language in Sarawak, there was concern about our fresh graduate doctor who unable to use English proficiently. But we cannot simply take a stern action without discussing the impact towards the implementation.

English was important to anybody who ever wants to achieve success globally. However, as Malaysian, we must try at our best level to strengthen our beloved national language. We must ensure that we can speak, write and deliver well in Malay language. The nation was shown by its language. Language was the similarity that we need for defence in our diversities in Malaysia. With what happened to the Sarawak, a state which has a Kuching that had been declared as City of Unity, why must there exist a disunity in language use. As a citizen, I urge us to think, do disunity happened with City Of Unity?

Ishak Sairozi