Govt plans campaign on proper use of 'bahasa'
Govt plans campaign on proper use of 'bahasa'
JAKARTA (JP): "Use Bahasa Indonesia correctly and be proud of it."
That will be the theme of an official campaign to promote the proper usage of the national language, which will be launched later this year to coincide with the nation's 50th independence anniversary.
Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at Bina Graha Presidential Office yesterday that the campaign will be held "to generate a feeling of pride and patriotism towards the country".
"The Youth Pledge, which was declared by the nation's founding fathers on Oct. 28, 1928, proclaimed Bahasa Indonesia as a language of unity. Since then, especially after independence, Bahasa Indonesia has developed rapidly -- I could even say remarkably," Wardiman said.
Remarkable, perhaps, but the use of the language has degenerated so much among adults and the nation's youths in recent years that language experts have called for ways to reverse the trend.
Of particular concern to the experts is the influence of foreign languages, particularly English. Foreign idioms are affecting daily usage and often at the expense of correct Bahasa Indonesia. Newspapers and television reports routinely show the country's own leaders using the national language poorly.
He said he has not set a date on when the campaign will be launched. One date being considered is May 20, which coincides with the commemoration of National Awakening Day.
Bahasa Indonesia is currently spoken correctly by some 75 percent of the country's population of 192 million, according to Wardiman. "With national education reaching deep into the country's remote areas, we expect to have 90 percent of the population speaking good and correct Bahasa Indonesia by the end of the century," he said.
Bahasa Indonesia is also taught in 29 other countries. In certain Australian high schools, Bahasa must be taken as a compulsory course.
"I have also received word that in Mindanao, in the Philippines,Bahasa Indonesia is the first compulsory foreign language," Wardiman added.
He explained that after 25 years, the Indonesian vocabulary has increased by about 50,000 words, which can be seen in the present-day General Dictionary of Bahasa Indonesia.
Words in Bahasa are derived from foreign and local dialects. Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch and English are among the foreign languages which have influenced Bahasa Indonesia and hundreds of local dialects spoken across the country are also major contributors to its richness.
"In this age of information and of free economies, we have to make sure that Bahasa will stay on track so it can become a reliable language in every field of discipline," Wardiman said.
He said the language campaign, which will be organized by the ministry's Center for Language Supervision and Training, will likely consist of banners, billboards and other such media inviting people to use Bahasa Indonesia correctly.
He said the campaign will involve other ministries and private institutions, including the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI). (pwn)