’Good Progress’ in Advancing Malay Literature

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam - A former director of the Board of Language (1961-1964), director of the Language and Literature Bureau (1965 - 1977) and advisor to the director of the Language and Literature Bureau (1976 - 1982), Pehin Jawatan Dalam Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama Dr Haji Awang Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri, who received the Linguist's Award from His Majesty the Sultan at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Language and Literature Bureau yesterday told the Sunday Bulletin that the nation is making good progress in the field of literature.

"An increasing number of Malay literature and books on linguistics have been published over the year," he said.

Comparing the usage of the Malay language with the past, Pehin Dr Hj Jamil said that it used to be very difficult as head of departments consisted of expatriates who possessed a bare minimum of the Malay language. However, during his capacity for his previous posts, he managed to overcome these hurdles and succeeded in coordinating the departments under him with great determination.

When enquired about his involvement in the area of language and linguistic, Pehin Dr Hj Jamil replied that he will continue to write and contribute to Malay literature as, "I still have more books on history and language to be published over the following years".

On the subject of Jawi among the general community he said that its usage in writings has declined and emphasised his belief that "we should go back to writing in Jawi in both schools and the workplace".

Pehin Dr Hj Jamil felt that Jawi is of particular importance to the Malay community as many religious books or 'kitabs' are written in Jawi. "If you fail to read Jawi, you will not be able to read the 'kitabs' and will fail to learn about the laws and regulations in Islam," he said.

"I believe the downfall of Jawi dates back to 1948 when the position of the Director of Education was held by an expat.

He removed the subject of Jawi in schools to perhaps lessen the burden imposed on school children. But this is not necessarily true! Some other countries have more than three languages but still manage to prosper," he said.

Pehin Dr Hj Jamil believes that Jawi should be made compulsory in schools if religious subjects are to be emphasised. "However, the implementation of the subject of Jawi in schools is made difficult due to a lack of knowledgeable teachers in that area."

Source: http://www.brudirect.com

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