PUTRAJAYA, June 11 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has urged his ministry staff to diversify information delivery to target groups to ensure details are well understood.
He said the use of regional dialects can be applied in the delivery of government policies and programmes for easier understanding by local communities.
“When I am on an expedition or meeting the Madani community, I find certain things can be adjusted in the way messages are delivered.
“Malaysia is a country rich in diversity with various tribes, languages and dialects, so we have to make sure messages are not only in the official language, but ensure it can be delivered in forms easily understood at the grassroots level.
“Take for instance Pulau Bum Bum in Semporna; there may be some (information) that suits the community there and it must be translated and presented in a form easily understood by the local population,” he told the media after a monthly ministry staff gathering here today.
Earlier, Fahmi said feedback showed the community thinks government policies are often delivered in overly formal language.
“Sometimes, I receive reprimands from friends in the Madani community that our communication is often in ‘Putrajaya language’, we use sentences full of correct grammar, commas and periods in their place.
“But the reality shows that we need to prioritise the people in the delivery of communication,” he said.
Fahmi urged his staff to help colleagues from other ministries ensure the messages they want to convey, especially those involving policies and programmes, reach the target groups.
“I see that we need to help our friends who are press secretaries and heads of corporate communication units, as their success is our success. If they have not succeeded in communicating and conveying information to target groups, that is also a challenge for us,” he said.
— Bernama
