Ministry of Human Resources will set a new rule to prohibit the requirement for Mandarin speakers in job vacancies in order to increase employment opportunities for Malays and Indians, said deputy minister Abdul Rahman Bakar. [Utusan]
Honestly, how often do we see jobs requirement that requires Mandarin speaking ability? You are not likely to find more than 10% of the job vacancies on Star or NST that has the requirement… so what is the big fuss about?
Besides, the Malay papers and the minister should think it in broader way… why do people want to hire Mandarin speakers? Most of the time it’s about profit, profit and profit!!!
We are facing globalization these days – Malaysian business can’t survive by doing business with Malaysians only. We need to find business overseas, and Bahasa Malaysia is often useless in this case. English is the primary requirement for that, and considering the rising of Chinese market, Mandarin speakers are in high demand.
Not only Mandarin is needed when selling stuff to China; we often need to purchase things from China… and again having Mandarin speakers are a definite advantage to protect our interest.
Also, the government and some Malays need to cut their mindset that it’s Chinese companies that wanted Mandarin speakers… it’s not true at all. Chinese people are the most stingy businessmen, they won’t simply hire Mandarin speakers for racial sake, it’s all about MONEY and PROFIT!
Just yesterday I read from Star Classifies that DRB-HICOM is hiring Mandarin speakers; I can’t remember HICOM being a Chinese company. Correct me if I am wrong… isn’t HICOM half owned by Malaysia government?
My first formal job was for a Japanese manufacturer; they required me to speak Chinese because I would have to travel to China quite often to assist the branch there. My brother work for an international firm; Chinese speaking is not a requirement but is welcomed because they conduct businesses worldwide… in fact any extra lingual ability is an added advantage.
So, Mr. Abdul Rahman Bakar, Ministry of Human Resources and some dear Malaysians… think twice before trying to discriminate against Mandarin speakers; the requirement is there because they are needed, not because they are wanted. Before pointing fingers on people that can speak multiple languages, consider learning one or two instead.