Developing Malay As Lingua Franca Region
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan – A senior government officer has urged the Language Council of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia (MABBIM) to vigorously develop the Malay language to be the lingua franca of the region in all aspects - including science and technology.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Hj Jemat bin Hj Ampal said such initiative is necessary not only to make Malay a universal language but also to save dialects and ethnic languages in the region from extinction.

"An integrated language planning is needed to strengthen the Malay/Indonesian language. Such planning needs the involvement of all sectors to develop the Malay/Indonesian as the lingua franca of the region," he said.

Hj Jemat was speaking as the guest-of-honour at the closing ceremony of the 45t'MABBIM Conference which was held at the Orchid Garden Hotel in Berakas Saturday.

The three heads of delegations from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia also agreed to find ways to develop the Malay language so as to support the national identity of the three countries, especially in this globalisation era.

Dr Mataim Bakar, the head of the Sultanate's delegation cum Acting Director of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Brunei, acknowledged that Malay speaking countries are facing a crisis in developing Malay as a language of knowledge for the world.

"Malay is the fourth major language in the world being spoken by more than 250 million people. However, we must admit that we are facing a crisis because Malay is not yet a language of knowledge.

"We must ensure that the development of the Malay language should be consistent with the advancement of knowledge to make certain its continued growth and survival," he said.

Dr Dendy Sugono, the head of the Indonesian delegation to the conference, also expressed his concern on the Malay language being influenced by other languages.

"In Indonesia we are concerned that the Malay language is being mixed with other languages like English.

"We are now pursuing `Love Your Language Movement' to encourage people in Indonesia to speak only Malay and not to mix it with other languages," he said.

Malaysian head of delegation Dato' Dr Firdaus Haji Abdullah called for foreign influences to be fully screened so they would not infiltrate the Malay language.

`Efforts must be made to expand the language in terms of vocabulary and terminologies, so that it would not dawdle in the rapid development of science and technology.

"There should be continuous efforts to add and create new terminologies in Malay in all fields," he said. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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