Call to include Tamil announcements at KLIA

An ex-deputy minister says such a move will be a sign of respect for visitors from India.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: A former deputy minister has called on the government to reconsider its decision not to introduce announcements in Tamil at the KL International Airport in Sepang for the benefit of passengers from India.

T Murugiah, former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said there is a need to include Tamil in the airport announcements for the benefit of the large number of Tamil-speaking tourists who visit the country.

Having announcements in Tamil will also be considered as a sign of respect for the visitors from India who are mostly business entrepreneurs and industrialists as well as tourists, he told Bernama today.

Murugiah was responding to the statement by the Transport Ministry yesterday that the government has no plans to make announcements in Tamil at the KLIA as passengers from India speak diverse dialects.

Currently, the announcements are made in Malay, English and Mandarin while announcements in Arabic and Japanese are made seasonally.

Murugiah said the Transport Ministry decision does not reflect the 1Malaysia spirit that is being promoted by the government.

“I also call for the inclusion of the Tamil language on the KLIA signboards in recognition of the 1.8 million Malaysian Indians, the third largest community, in the country,” he added.

Ministry must review its stand

In a related development, MIC secretary-general S Murugessan said the ministry’s decision was disappointing.

“The stated reason that passengers from India speak various other dialects cannot be accepted. First of all, Tamil is not a dialect. It is a well developed and one the finest languages in the world.

“Secondly, a vast majority of passengers from India are from Tamil Nadu, who speak Tamil.

“A simple perusal at the passenger load from Tamil Nadu at KLIA will reveal that a big majority of passengers from India are from Tamil Nadu,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the passenger breakdown will also reveal that the number of passengers from Tamil Nadu far exceed those passengers from Arabic countries or Japan.

“The Transport Ministry must review its stand and make announcement in Tamil at KLIA,” he added.