Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama; sebaliknya, memilih nama tred baharu.

Because tidak is used to negate a verb or an adjective, while bukan is mainly used to negate a noun phrase or to mean not X, but Y.

Here, menggunakan is a verb, so:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan... = They do not use...

If you said Mereka bukan menggunakan..., that would sound unnatural in normal Malay.

A simple rule:

• tidak
  • verb/adjective
• bukan
  • noun phrase

Malay often omits repeated subjects when they are already clear from the previous clause.

So this:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama; sebaliknya, memilih nama tred baharu.

is understood as:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama; sebaliknya, mereka memilih nama tred baharu.

In English, you usually need to repeat they, but in Malay, leaving it out can sound natural if the subject is obvious from context.

Still, the fuller version with mereka repeated is also correct and may sound clearer to learners.

Sebaliknya means instead, instead of that, or on the contrary, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means:

• instead
• rather

So the structure is:

• They did not use the old trade name; instead, (they) chose a new trade name.

It connects the second clause as an alternative to the first one.

The semicolon separates two closely related clauses:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama
• sebaliknya, memilih nama tred baharu

This punctuation works much like English:

• They did not use the old trade name; instead, they chose a new trade name.

In less formal writing, you might also see a full stop or sometimes a comma, but the semicolon is a neat way to show a strong connection between the two parts.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• nama tred lama = old trade name
• nama tred baharu = new trade name

This is the normal Malay word order:

• noun + adjective

Compare:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta baharu = new car

So even though English says old trade name, Malay says literally trade name old.

Both can mean new, but there is a stylistic difference.

• baharu is often more formal or careful in written Malay
• baru is very common in everyday use

So:

• nama tred baharu = slightly more formal
• nama tred baru = also understandable and common in many contexts

A useful extra point:

• baru can also mean just / only just, depending on the sentence
• baharu is usually only used in the sense of new

That is one reason formal writing sometimes prefers baharu, because it is less ambiguous.

Tred is a borrowing from English trade and can appear in business-related language, but it is not always the most common everyday choice.

Depending on context, you might also see:

• nama dagang
• jenama
• nama jenama

The best choice depends on what exactly is meant:

• nama tred / nama dagang = trade name
• jenama = brand

So nama tred is understandable, especially in a commercial context, but learners may encounter other terms more often.

Because the two clauses express two different actions:

• menggunakan = to use
• memilih = to choose

So the idea is:

• they did not use the old trade name
• instead, they chose a new trade name

Malay often keeps this kind of contrast very direct. It is not repeating the same verb; it is showing a change from one action to another.

Yes. A fuller version would be:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama; sebaliknya, mereka memilih nama tred baharu.

That version is especially helpful for learners because the subject is repeated.

Depending on style, you might also see:

• Mereka tidak menggunakan nama tred lama. Sebaliknya, mereka memilih nama tred baharu.

Both are correct. The shorter original version is more compact, but the fuller one may sound clearer.

Yes. Memilih is a transitive verb, so it can directly take its object.

• memilih nama tred baharu = choose a new trade name

No extra word like akan or a preposition is needed here.

This is normal Malay verb structure:

• memilih
  • object
• menggunakan
  • object

For example:

• Dia memilih warna biru. = He/She chose blue.
• Mereka menggunakan sistem lama. = They used the old system.