Linguists drum up support for Malay<\/p>\n
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar<\/p>\n
Linguists from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei began an annual
\ntwo-day Malay congress here on Monday with a pledge to struggle
\nfor Malay to be recognized as an official language in ASEAN,
\nalongside English.<\/p>\n
The forum, held in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, is
\nbeing attended by 196 participants from Indonesia, 30 from
\nMalaysia, 13 from Brunei and two observers from Singapore.<\/p>\n
Chief delegates at the meeting agreed to take the plan to
\nleaders of their respective countries, who are expected to
\ndiscuss it at an ASEAN forum.<\/p>\n
Dato' Haji A. Aziz, chief of the Malaysian delegation, said he
\nwas optimistic that the 10-member Association of South East Asian
\nNations (ASEAN) will accept Malay as their second official
\nlanguage after English.<\/p>\n
"There are around 250 million people in ASEAN speaking Malay.
\nSo, it is not impossible that Malay will become their official
\nlanguage," he argued.<\/p>\n
He said that Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and Singapore all
\nsupport the campaign.<\/p>\n
"We strive to make such an ideal achievable and hope leaders
\nof our nations support it," Aziz told The Jakarta Post on the
\nsidelines of the congress.<\/p>\n
Brunei's chief delegate, Haji Abdul Hakim Mohd. Yassin also
\nexpressed confidence that Malay would soon become ASEAN's
\nofficial language.<\/p>\n
"We are making joint efforts to mobilize support for the
\nplan," he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Hakim admitted that extra effort has to be made to realize the
\nplan, as several ASEAN nations, such as Vietnam, Cambodia and the
\nPhilippines, do not speak Malay.<\/p>\n
Dendy Sugondo, who leads the Indonesian delegation at the
\ncongress, said support from ASEAN governments and their community
\nmembers would be required to recognize Malay as an official
\nlanguage.<\/p>\n
"We are seeking to ensure that Malay be spoken in various
\nparts of the world," he told the Post.<\/p>\n
To further support the plan, Aziz said Malaysia, Brunei,
\nIndonesia along with Singapore have been conducting research and
\npublishing in Malay.<\/p>\n
They are also promoting Malay terms in science and technology,
\nas well as publishing a journal on national literature in
\nSoutheast Asia, he added.<\/p>\n
Aziz said the three-member council would soon publish 70 Malay
\nnovels selected from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, which would
\nbe distributed worldwide.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/linguists-drum-up-support-for-malay-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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