Your days of using bahasa pasar are numbered.
Several new amendments to the National Language Act 1963 and Education Act 1996 have been suggested in the Parliament, and shall it go through, we could very well be the first country in the entire universe to have an official grammar police.Under the new law, anyone found guilty of using incorrect or 'broken' Bahasa Malaysia will be taken to task and be fined at least RM1,000.
According to a report by Malaysiakini, the measure was enforced by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) and has gotten the green light from Putrajaya to go through.
The news portal also reported that a special committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take a look at the proposed new laws and shall they OK them, the Education Ministry will table the ammendments in the Parliament.
Once it goes through, DBP will act as the official 'language guardian' and they will be given the power to take action against those who misuse the language, including in online advertisements.
So, no more using 'PM tepi', 'kay?
DBP director-general Abdul Adzis Abas told the news portal that the move is to ensure that the national language is not contaminated and to educate the public on the proper use of Bahasa Malaysia.
Well, we guess you better stop saying 'photobomb' and say 'tunafoto' instead.