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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim emphasized during the Merdeka Milestone Friendship Madani 2026 Summit at UiTM Permatang Pauh that promoting the Malay language, the country's official language, should not be viewed as reducing the dominance of other languages. The Prime Minister stated that every citizen, regardless of background, must master the national language well, but at the same time, proficiency in other languages such as English, Mandarin, and Tamil should be strengthened to expand educational and economic opportunities.

He acknowledged that English has become an important global language, and the system should accept it, not replace Malay but complement it. Anwar also mentioned that proficiency in Mandarin is increasingly important considering its position as one of the main economic languages in the region, and there is growing interest among the people in enhancing their skills in the Tamil language.

"It's not a zero-sum game," he encouraged, urging children to master Chinese languages provided that their proficiency in Malay is sufficient. He emphasized that learning languages in the region is not detrimental. "Ensuring personal and future interests are secured is an economic necessity," he added. "It is not done by sacrificing the importance of English; rather, it provides broader opportunities to enhance and develop your potential."

The Prime Minister reminded the people not to sow the seeds of animosity between ethnic groups, as national harmony cannot be assumed to be permanent without consistent efforts to maintain unity. He stressed that a spirit of sharing, sympathy, and helping each other needs to be applied so that every citizen, regardless of ethnicity, can benefit from the nation's development inclusively.