Brunei delegates attend Malay language congress in Jakarta
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Hj Abdul Hakim, head of the Brunei delegation to the Indonesian congress.

The three-day 8th Indonesian/Malay Language Congress was officially opened last Tuesday, in Jakarta, Indonesia. On hand to launch the event was the Indonesian Minister of National Education, who also delivered a keynote address.

The congress was attended by 843 people, including Director of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei (DBP) Hj Abdul Hakim bin Hj Mohd Yassin as well as Dato Paduka Hj Mahmud bin Hj Bakyr and Hanafiah bin Zaini.

Apart from Brunei Darussalam, delegations from Australia, Bulgaria, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and Surinam also attended the congress which was held at the Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta.

By the end of the congress, the participants would have heard as many as 79 working papers including one from Hj Abd Hakim. 61 of the working papers would have been delivered by Indonesian language experts, while the remaining 18, by delegates from foreign countries.

In his capacity as the keynote speaker, Indonesian Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fadjar said that teaching the country's national language, Bahasa Indonesia, could reduce separatist sentiments in that country.

He added that since the cause of rebellion is the lack of a sense of nationalism, the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia may boost the sense of nationalism and thus overcome any uprising.

Indonesia is currently facing separatist groups such as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

He added that besides boosting the sense of nationalism, the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia is needed to resist the influx of negative foreign cultures and technology.

"The problem is more complicated as there is a tendency to uphold a foreign language, especially English, while Bahasa Indonesia becomes the second language.

"This happened because the teaching of Indonesian language was boring and too theoretical.

"I hope the congress can find a way to make the Bahasa Indonesia/Melayu teaching methodology interesting, useful and enlightening," he said.

At the opening ceremony, six public figures including British Ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney received awards for being the best speakers of Bahasa Indonesia. Gozney always appeared in public, such as in television talks, using Bahasa Indonesia as his medium of communication.

Women literary writers NH Dini, Dorothea Rosa Herliany and Oka Rusmini received literary awards in conjunction with the 8th Indonesian Malay Language Congress.

The congress, held once every four years, will again be organised by Indonesia in 2007.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin