Bernama [Malaysia]
6 December 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec
6 (Bernama) -- An anecdote from a Malay student trying to master the English
language while preparing to further his studies abroad had the delegates in
stitches during the debate on the economy at the Umno General Assembly 2013
today.
The delegate from
the Federal Territory, Afendi Zahari, said the incident occurred at the airport
when the student from the East Coast accidentally bumped into a foreigner and
tried to apologise in English.
"The student
bumped into the 'white man' near the staircase at the airport and said 'I am
sorry'. The man responded: 'I am sorry too'. When he heard the word 'too', the
student replied 'I am sorry three'.
"Puzzled at
the reply from the student, the man asked 'what for?', the boy later responded
'I am sorry five'," said the Titiwangsa Umno division deputy head.
Following the
endless apologies from the student, he said the foreigner began to get annoyed
and said: "I'm sick of this."
Continuing his
anecdote, Afendi said that without realising he (the student) had annoyed the
foreigner, as a courteous Malay, the student continued to apologise saying:
"I'm sorry seven."
"This is the
problem when we don't know how to speak in English," he said to loud
laughter from the delegates. […]