KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay language or Bahasa Melayu has good potential of becoming the lingua franca of Asean, with the cooperation from other member countries.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Malay language has its uniqueness, advantages and fit to be made one of the official languages of Asean.
Speaking at the International Symposium on Bahasa Melayu at Wisma Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka here today, he said the symposium is a good platform to help understand, identify any obstacles and elevate the language as the second official language of Asean.
"There has been some misunderstanding among a few Asean countries that misunderstood our intentions to elevate and dignify Bahasa Melayu. They assumed that we are championing for Bahasa Malaysia but in fact it's Bahasa Melayu, that has a long history dating back centuries," he clarified.
Ismail Sabri said Bahasa Melayu is also used in other countries in Asean.
He said the Malay language must be upheld in the country, through its daily usage not only in all government departments but also by GLCs and tertiary education at public universities.
"A circular was sent last year to make the use of Bahasa Melayu compulsory at all government departments. The implementation is ongoing in stages, as there are a few amendments being looked into.
"I don't see any reason why we should not dignify Bahasa Melayu as the official language for all our mediation. If you were to look carefully, Bahasa Melayu has an undeniable history (from the East India Company days) where even the merchants who came to trade in the Malay Archipelago, used the Malay language.
He said although Bahasa Melayu is the primary language used in several Asean countries, there are variations according to the countries such as Bahasa Melayu Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu Brunei.
"Bahasa Melayu was the primary language used by merchants from India, China and around the world.
To make it Asean's lingua franca, I introduced cultural diplomacy last December for an external framework policy for all correspondence to other countries to be in Bahasa Melayu.
"However, we will attach a translation in the appendix," he said, urging all parties to extend their full commitment to the cause.
He said countries such as China and India too use Bahasa Melayu and offered degree programmes for its students.
"For instance, there are 16 universities in China that offer a Bahasa Melayu degree programmes for its students".
He added that if countries such as France and Japan can use their native language for all their correspondence, why not Malaysia.
"Even our judiciary uses Bahasa Melayu as the medium language. We should not be shy to use Bahasa Melayu," he said.
He added that as a move to empower the Malay language, there will be several amendments made to the present Dewan Bahasa Pustaka Act 1959.
"The amendments are also needed to empower DBP to carry out enforcement against offences involving the use of the language," he said.