Linguists drum up support for Malay
Linguists drum up support for Malay
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Linguists from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei began an annual
two-day Malay congress here on Monday with a pledge to struggle
for Malay to be recognized as an official language in ASEAN,
alongside English.
The forum, held in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, is
being attended by 196 participants from Indonesia, 30 from
Malaysia, 13 from Brunei and two observers from Singapore.
Chief delegates at the meeting agreed to take the plan to
leaders of their respective countries, who are expected to
discuss it at an ASEAN forum.
Dato' Haji A. Aziz, chief of the Malaysian delegation, said he
was optimistic that the 10-member Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) will accept Malay as their second official
language after English.
"There are around 250 million people in ASEAN speaking Malay.
So, it is not impossible that Malay will become their official
language," he argued.
He said that Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and Singapore all
support the campaign.
"We strive to make such an ideal achievable and hope leaders
of our nations support it," Aziz told The Jakarta Post on the
sidelines of the congress.
Brunei's chief delegate, Haji Abdul Hakim Mohd. Yassin also
expressed confidence that Malay would soon become ASEAN's
official language.
"We are making joint efforts to mobilize support for the
plan," he told the Post.
Hakim admitted that extra effort has to be made to realize the
plan, as several ASEAN nations, such as Vietnam, Cambodia and the
Philippines, do not speak Malay.
Dendy Sugondo, who leads the Indonesian delegation at the
congress, said support from ASEAN governments and their community
members would be required to recognize Malay as an official
language.
"We are seeking to ensure that Malay be spoken in various
parts of the world," he told the Post.
To further support the plan, Aziz said Malaysia, Brunei,
Indonesia along with Singapore have been conducting research and
publishing in Malay.
They are also promoting Malay terms in science and technology,
as well as publishing a journal on national literature in
Southeast Asia, he added.
Aziz said the three-member council would soon publish 70 Malay
novels selected from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, which would
be distributed worldwide.
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Linguists from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei began an annual
two-day Malay congress here on Monday with a pledge to struggle
for Malay to be recognized as an official language in ASEAN,
alongside English.
The forum, held in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, is
being attended by 196 participants from Indonesia, 30 from
Malaysia, 13 from Brunei and two observers from Singapore.
Chief delegates at the meeting agreed to take the plan to
leaders of their respective countries, who are expected to
discuss it at an ASEAN forum.
Dato' Haji A. Aziz, chief of the Malaysian delegation, said he
was optimistic that the 10-member Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) will accept Malay as their second official
language after English.
"There are around 250 million people in ASEAN speaking Malay.
So, it is not impossible that Malay will become their official
language," he argued.
He said that Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and Singapore all
support the campaign.
"We strive to make such an ideal achievable and hope leaders
of our nations support it," Aziz told The Jakarta Post on the
sidelines of the congress.
Brunei's chief delegate, Haji Abdul Hakim Mohd. Yassin also
expressed confidence that Malay would soon become ASEAN's
official language.
"We are making joint efforts to mobilize support for the
plan," he told the Post.
Hakim admitted that extra effort has to be made to realize the
plan, as several ASEAN nations, such as Vietnam, Cambodia and the
Philippines, do not speak Malay.
Dendy Sugondo, who leads the Indonesian delegation at the
congress, said support from ASEAN governments and their community
members would be required to recognize Malay as an official
language.
"We are seeking to ensure that Malay be spoken in various
parts of the world," he told the Post.
To further support the plan, Aziz said Malaysia, Brunei,
Indonesia along with Singapore have been conducting research and
publishing in Malay.
They are also promoting Malay terms in science and technology,
as well as publishing a journal on national literature in
Southeast Asia, he added.
Aziz said the three-member council would soon publish 70 Malay
novels selected from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, which would
be distributed worldwide.