By Dr Rahim Said
Some words are born in a dictionary. Others are born in a pizza box. Years ago, Pizza Hut Malaysia put “Jom” in front of “Pizza”, and a nation of the hungry and the hesitant found itself saying it without thinking.
Within months, “Jom” was everywhere, and nobody has been able to shut it up since. It’s the most efficient word we have: invitation, plan and mild peer pressure in three letters. Jom makan. Jom lepak. Jom balik kampung. Nobody has ever said “Jom” and then asked for an agenda.
Now the word has gone to Johannesburg. About a fortnight ago, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and our High Commission in Pretoria, Datuk Yubazlan Yusof, launched Jom Beli Produk Malaysia, or JOM MALAYSIA, in front of about 120 guests, including 14 Malaysian businesses looking to sell franchises, food, halal products and direct-selling concepts into Southern Africa.
Our High Commissioner reminded the room that diplomatic ties date to 1993. He said goodwill must be converted into contracts. A fine sentence, and I suspect the first time “Jom” has been asked to do that much heavy lifting.
Is it trademarked?
I couldn’t confirm that, and I’m no lawyer. “Jom” is an ordinary Malay word, and ordinary words are hard to fence off, so I doubt anyone can claim the word itself. A particular logo or slogan wrapped around it is another matter, and a quick MyIPO search before anyone prints ten thousand tote bags would be money well spent. If Pizza Hut did register something, I’d love to see them claim the royalties on forty years of “jom!” across the nation.
How will South Africans say it?
Here the fun begins. Afrikaans pronounces its “j” like an English “y”, so on the Highveld we may well be launching “Yom Malaysia,” which sounds like a Jewish holiday with excellent satay.
An English-speaking Joburger will give it a flat “Jawm.” And then there’s a theory that it becomes “Jump” with a silent p. I rather like it. “Jump Malaysia” sounds like a bungee operator, though, to be fair, we are asking South African retailers to leap.
My favourite is “Jom, Jol.” The South African word for a good time is jol, as in “let’s jol.” So “Jom” meets “jol,” and a trade mission becomes a party with a purchase order.
Why it works
Look at what we’re really comparing. They have the braai; we have satay. They have rooibos, we have teh tarik. They say “just now” when they mean “eventually,” and we say “nanti” when we mean “never, but warmly.” They say lekker; we say sedap. They answer everything with “Eish,” and we say “aiyoh.” We’re the same people in different weather.
There’s history too. The Cape Malay community has put its fingerprints on South African cooking for centuries, so our curries and bobotie have been in conversation since long before any trade mission. Malaysian franchisees arriving with nasi lemak and roti canai won’t be strangers. They’ll be distant cousins at a long-overdue family reunion.
A modest proposal
Let the South Africans pronounce it however they like. The Afrikaners can say “Yom,” Durban can say “Jawm,” and some marketing genius in Sandton will say “Jump.” The word has survived Pizza Hut, the Ministry and four decades of “Buy Malaysian” campaigns, and it will survive Johannesburg.
The High Commissioner was right that quality, pricing and regulatory compliance matter more than slogans. But a good slogan gets you through the door, and “Jom” has always been good at that. It has never needed translating, only saying with a smile.
So, here’s to the 14 brave firms. Jom, Jum, Jump, Yom, whatever works. Just keep the sambal coming.
WE