- VIVAnews/Tri Saputro
VIVAnews – A Malaysian official suggested Malay language be used as an official language in Southeast Asian region. The wish was driven by 300 million people in the region speaking Malay and Indonesian language in daily conversation.
The proposal was made by Malaysian Minister of Information, Communication and Culture Rais Yatim. According to him, the proposal was based on the wish to bring Malay language to equality with other world languages.
“It’s very good that we try to put Malay language side by side with German, French, Arabic, so that it becomes a lingua franca,” said Rais Yatim at West Sumatra Gubernatorial Hall on Friday.
He acknowledged that his opinion emerged after a research in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and southern Thailand which use Malay and Indonesian language in daily use. This, as he viewed, will benefit countries in Southeast Asia.
According to Rais, the use of one language in Southeast Asian region is important to increase the bargaining position of the respective countries. “Malay is quite rich,” he said.
As regards which Malay is being proposed as a common language in ASEAN, Rais was not willing to answer. According to him, this still requires more researches to unite the Malay-family countries situated in Southeast Asia.
“What matters is Indonesian language and Malay is in the same language family,” he said.
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Coverage by: Eri Naldi | Padang
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