A Barisan Nasional parliamentarian today took the state-owned RTM station to task for using what he described as ' rojak ' language on its programmes.

However, Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin came to the rescue and explained that it was difficult to maintain the use of proper Bahasa Malaysia on television and radio stations.

"RTM is always sensitive and concerned about the development of the Malay language. Its broadcasters and the production team are also given training on proper Malay language from time to time," he said.

Othman Abdul (BN-Pendang) had asked if the ministry was aware of the existence of rojak language, which he claimed was widely used.

The parliamentarian cited examples such as ' sure heboh ', ' pastikan ori ' and ' RTM hos penyiar '.

He urged the ministry - which overseas the radio and television station - to ensure that proper Malay language is used with regards to pronunciation and language structure.

Rojak classification

Zainuddin said RTM classified ' rojak ' language as "mixing other languages apart from Malay in one sentence" but if the broadcaster uses two languages but does not jumble them up in one sentence then this is not 'rojak'.

As for the three examples, the deputy minister explained that ' ori ' was the abbreviation for the word original and this is accepted similar to the use of the word ' info ' for information.

He said RTM had consulted and obtained Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka's approval to use the term ' hos penyair '.

However, the deputy minister conceded that the term 'sure heboh' is rojak language but claimed that it was not used in a private television station and not RTM.