PETALING JAYA: Malaysian-born Australian member of parliament who partially delivered his introductory address in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin in Australia’s Parliament has garnered a lot of attention.
Sam Lim, who won the Tangney seat in Western Australia in May, even received praise from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in a tweet about his efforts.
He wrote in a post that “Bahasa Malaysia has resonated in Australia” and expressed his pride in Lim’s international advocacy for the language.
Lim expressed his gratitude to Malaysians and Australians for their support during the election process in his remarks.
“Kepada semua saudara – saudara yang berada di Malaysia, Australia dan seluruh pelusuk dunia, terima kasih atas semua perhatian dan berkat yang telah anda sekalian berikan kepada saya (To all my friends in Australia, Malaysia and abroad, thank you for all your care and love.)
“Terima kasih atas semua sokongan dan bantuan anda semasa pilihanraya di Australia. Terima kasih semua. (Thank you to all who have reached out to support and help in the Australian general election. Thank you),” he said in his speech.
Tim Watts, Australia’s Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, also posted brief excerpts of Lim’s speech and praised it as outstanding.
“Full of affection, he expressed his gratitude in three languages: Malay, Mandarin, and English. Watts wrote in his article, “I am very proud that our Parliament now accurately reflects the reality of the vibrant variety of modern Australia.
Lim, 61, moved to Australia in 2002 after leaving his birthplace of Muar, Johor.
The fact that Lim used Bahasa Malaysia in his speech was acclaim by users on social media.
Fazil Mazni congratulated Lim, stating, “Keep it up and all the best to you,” and added, ” I am proud of you.”
Congratulations and well done for utilizing Bahasa Malaysia in the Australian Parliament, added another individual, identified as Eric Yap.
