Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak defended the importance of the Malay language as it is the "language of unity".

"Even if you go to a Chinese or Indian vernacular school, you have to be able to speak Malay well (because) it is our language, our language of unity, our identity," Najib said in a speech during the Culture Congress 2017 in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) today.

The youths, he said, from all backgrounds and ethnicities need to learn to speak Malay well.

He acknowledged the importance of learning a second language, but stressed that they have to uphold the Malay language...