Minister Optimistic about Malay Language’s Future

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam - The Minister of Home Affairs yesterday spoke of the possibility of the extinction of languages, including the Malay Language, urging the people to use the nation's mother tongue regardless of external influences and global transformation.

Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Awang Othman called on the people to support the government's mission to defend the sovereignty and conservation of the Malay Language.

"Will our language (Malay) also cease to exist along with the other languages?" asked the minister in his keynote address at the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary yesterday.

He cited studies which showed that since mankind learnt how to speak, nearly 30,000 languages have vanished from the face of the world and only 5,000 of them are still spoken as first languages today.

However, he was convinced that the gloomy scenario of the extinction of languages would not affect the Malay Language as it is still widely spoken by about 250 million of the world's population, but nonetheless, he reminded that it is not without possibility.

The Malay Language will come to an end if the people choose not to speak, write and work by it, he cautioned.

"For certain, the Malay Language is the fourth most spoken language following English, Mandarin and Spanish," he said. And for Brunei, the Malay Language is its lingua franca and the language of unity since the days of old, he said.

He called on the people to accept the differences in races and languages, and be grateful for what the Sultanate possesses - the Malay Language.

"There will not occur the perfect preservation of a nation's culture if one ignores its language because it is language that symbolises its own identity," he stressed.

Brunei is driven by the philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy, strongly influenced by adherence to Islam, he said. The highest governing authority is the Sultan, Islam is the official religion and the Malay Language is the official language.

As Brunei further develops, the nation will experience many influences that may affect these aspects, and one of them is in the form of language, he said. Those developments should be addressed carefully, he said.

He said the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam through the Language and Literature Bureau (DBP) had carried out various linguistic activities over the past decades in an effort to enliven the use of the Malay Language in communications, public speaking and administration, both in the public and private sectors.

He believed that the Malay Language will remain dominant because it is part of Brunei's culture and civilisation to be developed and preserved. He called on the people to look ahead in ensuring the sustainability of the nation's culture and language.

Source: http://www.brudirect.com

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