KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia seeks to have Bahasa Melayu or Malay recognised as a 'second language' by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The impetus behind this, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said is to elevate the national language at the international level.
The Senate on March 23 was told that this was part of the government's initiatives to further strengthen Malay in the country and on the global stage.
The prime minister's announcement raised several questions: What does a 'second language' for Asean means? What is its significance, its implications and how would Asean member states react to this?
Asean is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, security and socio-cultural cooperation among its ten members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. More than 1,000 languages are spoken across the ten nations.
In Malaysia's favour, Malay is said to be the region's widely spoken language with about 45.8 per cent of the Asean population conversing in various forms of Malay. It is an official language in four Asean states (Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore) and spoken in eight (Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, and Cambodia).
Malay is also found in other parts of the world - Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Cocos Islands, and Christmas Island.
The case against it: Malay is not widely spoken as claimed; Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) is the 10th most spoken language in the world, not Bahasa Melayu; it could be a case of cultural appropriation; states might interpret the move as a form of political and cultural dominance; Mandarin is more widely spoken and recognised at the global stage; it is a divisive agenda; member states will question why their respective language can't be the second language; and concerns over additional operational cost to be incurred such as for translators and interpreters.
What do the experts have to say about this? The NST spoke to the following who shared their thoughts - Asean Studies Centre lead researcher Joanne Lin Weiling of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute; Professor of Applied Linguistics, Dr Bromeley Philip of the Academic of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Sarawak; Universiti Malaya sociopolitical analyst Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi; Universiti Utara Malaysia political analyst Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Sani; and Professor William Case, head of School of Politics, History and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
Bahasa Melayu as Asean's second language
This is not the first instance that Malaysia has proposed the usage of Bahasa Melayu in Asean.
In 2011, Tan Sri Rais Yatim who was then the Information, Communication and Culture Minister suggested Malay be an 'official language' in Southeast Asia, while Ismail Sabri, who was the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister said Malay could become the lingua franca of Asean.
Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made a similar proposal for Malay to be the "main and official language" of Asean back in 2017.
Ismail Sabri this time, however, used the term 'second language' and not 'official language'.
"The prime minister may be trying to make this 'more palatable' than the earlier suggestion by Najib," said Asean Studies Centre lead researcher Joanne Lin Weiling of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Najib aspired for Malay to be a global lingua franca and Asean's official language by 2050, but this gained no traction, a sign that its member states did not share the same aspirations, she said.
(The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute is a leading research centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment).
Lin Weiling said Ismail Sabri possibly see the proposal as being supplementary to the working language of Asean, which is English and not to replace English altogether.
"He may also have in mind the European Union model in which there are 24 official languages and three working ones - English, French, and German. Having more working languages may promote an Asean identity amidst the diversity."
However, to replicate such a model, Asean needs to take a balanced approach to incorporate all national languages of member states instead of just Malaysia, she said.
She said Malaysia might also foresee itself as playing a greater role in Asean, considering the country will be the Chair of Asean in 2025, a year in which the Asean Community's Post-2025 Vision and Roadmap will be adopted.
Malaysia is currently the permanent shepherd of the High-Level Task Force on the Asean Community's Post-2025 Vision, an important role in charting the future direction of Asean, she added.
Professor of Applied Linguistics, Dr Bromeley Philip viewed the prime minister's announcement as a valid suggestion considering about 300 million of Asean's 655 million population use Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia/Brunei, albeit some variations, daily.
The proposal seeks to bring Malay to equality with other world languages like Arabic, French, and German, so that it becomes a lingua franca, Philip said.
"Malay as 'a second language' could mean that it is the preferred (unless made mandatory later in the future) language after the most commonly preferred English language.
"English has been the language of wider communication in Asean programmes for the very reason of its global use, but between the three Asean nations (Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei), Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia/Brunei has always been the preferred language."
This, he said was due to the agreement previously signed between the three states on the need to promote and elevate Malay under the Majlis Bahasa Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia (MABBIM) establishment. Singapore is an observer state in MABBIM.
The regional linguistic body (Badan kebahasaan serantau), established in 1985 aims to expand and spread Malay in the three-member nations as a language for high civilisation in the forms of the language of knowledge, science, modern technology, industry and economy.
Prior to that, it was known as Majlis Bahasa Indonesia - Malaysia (established in 1972).
Language Identity: 'Bahasa Melayu serumpun' or 'Bahasa Nusantara' for SEA
Philip believes it is high time for a certain linguistic identity to originate from Southeast Asia akin to English or French from Europe and Mandarin from Greater Asia.
"Malaysia is taking the initiative to establish such an identity for global recognition.
"Besides Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, there are Malay speakers albeit small in Cambodia, Laos, Southern Thailand, Southern Mindanao, Philippines and Timor Leste. By number alone, it is justified that if Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia/Brunei is made a second preferred language."
One possible conflictual outlook, Philip said is that it would not be easy for any one of the three nations to claim exclusive ownership of Malay due to the MABBIM agreement.
It has to be a shared language of the three nations, thus he said there is a need to agree on one common name for the language.
Hypothetically, for Asean purposes, the second language may be called Bahasa Nusantara which includes Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia/Brunei speakers.
"With the strength of three voices combined, there is a strong likelihood that smaller nations vis-a-vis three nations, would take heed of the proposal.
"If it (second language) is proposed as Bahasa Nusantara, it might augur well with other Asean states."
Universiti Malaya sociopolitical analyst Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said Malay is not limited to the 32 million population in Malaysia, but over 300 million people understand Malay/Indonesian.
"Indonesia alone has over 278 million speakers, excluding Brunei, Singapore, and southern Thailand, for example.
"Hence, the Malay being referred to is the Bahasa Melayu serumpun, a language understood widely in the region."
According to 'Ethnologue: Languages of the World', Indonesian ranks 10 globally as the most spoken language. It is a standardised variety of Malay, an Austronesian language.
Ismail Sabri, had on April 1, in a joint press conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Malaysia and Indonesia would continue efforts to uplift the status of Bahasa Melayu, which may become an Asean language one day.
Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia
Article 152 of the Federal Constitution states that "Bahasa kebangsaan ialah Bahasa Melayu" (Malay language is the national language).
Philip, however, said it should be termed Bahasa Malaysia like Bahasa Indonesia.
"It was Bahasa Malaysia up till 1986 but sometime after, the Education Ministry changed the paper to Bahasa Melayu (it could be due to nationalistic intention on the part of Malay politicians - Umno at that time) or it could be the ministry trying to standardise it with Bahasa Tamil, Bahasa Cina, and Bahasa Arab.
"To avoid any controversy, it is best to stick to Bahasa Melayu but then again Bahasa Malaysia is not wrong.
"Bahasa Melayu Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore are similar and these differ with some variations to Bahasa Indonesia but all these bahasa are 'serumpun', aptly Bahasa Nusantara."
Language politics
As a political leader with domestic mandates, Lin Weiling said it is clear that Ismail Sabri would want to promote Malaysia's own national interest and identity, including elevating the position of its national language on the international stage.
While he can make policies or instruct Cabinet members to use Malay when attending meetings overseas, she said it is another thing to 'impose' this desire on other Asean members who do not share this nationalist sentiment.
"Article 34 of the Asean Charter has stipulated that the 'working language of Asean shall be English'. This is an agreement made by all Heads of States of Asean member states when the Charter was adopted.
"It is also important to note that the Asean Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) signed by the Ministers of Asean's founding members in 1967 in the English language has already set the tone for it to be the de facto working language of Asean."
Lin Weiling noted that decision-making in Asean is based on consultation and consensus, as such, as long as even one member is unable to support this proposal, it is unlikely to be pushed through for implementation.
Political analyst Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Sani said this could be seen as a move to promote himself (Ismail Sabri) as a leader fighting for the national language.
"We can't only talk about the language in this issue. There is a certain level of politics behind this aspiration to promote Malay to make it an important language in the world and attract others to learn, besides championing the language per se.
"This proposal carries a certain weightage for Ismail Sabri politically. Malaysians, in general, will support him to uplift the language and he for one, is willing to take the agenda further compared to previous leaders."
Socio-political consequences
Should this proposal be taken seriously within Asean, it may result in a proliferation of similar requests from other member states to also introduce their national language as a 'working' language of Asean, Lin Weiling said.
"While Asean has encouraged its members to issue Asean documents such as Joint Statements of sectoral bodies in their respective national languages in order to socialise Asean's work in the various constituencies, it is quite another thing to incorporate national languages into working language.
"English was chosen due to its widespread utility in the region and globally including as an official language in the United Nations and several other regional organisations.
"It was a logical and reasonable choice considering that it would create a level playing field for all without taking any particular side."
She said that although the Malay language is used in several Asean member states such as Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines, and parts of Cambodia, in actual fact, apart from Brunei, its usage in these countries is limited to the minorities.
"In the case of Singapore, although its national language is Malay (according to its Constitution), most of its Chinese majority, especially the younger generation cannot speak Malay."
Additionally, she said that while the Malay language is not difficult to learn, there is probably little incentive for the region's population to take an interest as its usefulness cannot extend beyond the shores of Malaysia, Brunei, or Indonesia, unlike languages like French and Spanish.
"Besides, many people in the region are already struggling to learn English, there is likely little bandwidth for an additional working language in Asean."
Furthermore, adopting the national language of one particular member state may be seen by others as promoting the dominance of a particular race and culture in Asean, Lin Weiling said.
This, she said goes against the principle of promoting an Asean identity through the awareness of diverse cultures, heritage, and religions in the region while emphasising the need for unity in diversity.
"Asean has also been underscoring the principle of parity and equality among member states. This is not only in regards to the participation in activities but also in regards to each member having equal stakes in Asean."
Professor William Case, Head of School of Politics, History and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus said it would likely be hard for Malaysia to find favour with Asean partners over this identity initiative.
He pointed out that the timing is inopportune as Southeast Asia, like the rest of the world, is facing many excruciating problems at present over territorial disputes, multiple pandemics, management of great power relations, sinking coastal cities, bitter competition for foreign investment, fragmenting supply chains, haze, trafficking, and indeed, Asean's own organisational coherence.
"Why would Asean, then, with its agendas and resources so stretched, take on what would surely seem to most of its members to be a frivolous, even selfish request, made by a founding member state that is held in high regard, to be sure, but is still one of the smaller states?"
Case was previously a Professor of Southeast Asian politics and Director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at City University of Hong Kong.
This initiative, Case said also challenges profoundly the principles of equal political and cultural recognition and standing, enshrined, for better or worse, in the mutual veto that is accorded to all of Asean's members.
"Why should Bahasa Melayu upstage Thai language, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Bamar, Indonesian, and Mandarin, for that matter, as Asean's 'second' language?
"Malaysia's government declares that Malay is widely spoken across island Southeast Asia, from Singapore to Mindanao.
"But even here, in this insular and sub-regional realm, did Malaysia consult with speakers of Javanese, Pattani Malay, Muslim Khmer Malay, or Suluk before placing itself in the vanguard of this identity initiative? We need to know more about what may be cultural appropriation."
Case further said that in advancing this initiative, Malaysia is asking a lot of its neighbours.
"It asks that they set aside the challenges that face them all to consider a bid by Malaysia to elevate its own standing, in the service of which it conscripts minorities in a few other countries by foisting upon them some imagined identity.
"To be sure, the replacement over time of English, a coloniser's administrative vernacular, may over time be desirable for Asean. But India, for example, in its diversity, has never found a broadly accepted alternative for communicating across regional elites.
"Southeast Asia, just as diverse, is unlikely to either, at least in the near term. And when it does, it may not be Bahasa Melayu, as it is conducted in present-day Malaysia, that serves best.
"Indeed, it is almost unimaginable that Asean meetings and documents, produced for now in English, will be reproduced in Bahasa Melayu for an uncomprehending audience.
"Malaysia must expect, then, that Asean may even be irritated by its request."
Even so, Case said Malaysia will not be openly rebuked by Asean as the 'Asean Way' requires instead that any such partisan initiatives are greeted politely, then are let slip from the table for interminable study.
Malaysia would do well to accept this outcome, then proceed to the substantive issues in which it can make serious contributions over the region's economic integration, digitalisation, and coherent dealings, he added.
Will Asean leaders have to learn Malay
While this would encourage the regional population to pick up the language, Awang Azman said it does not mean leaders must learn Malay.
This is like French, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish being the working/official language in the United Nations, but world leaders do not necessarily have to learn them, he said.
"It is in recognition of the value of the language itself internationally."
Lin Weiling said there will not be a need for the Asean member state leaders to pick up a new language.
While English is used as a medium of communication within Asean, she said the language is only widely used in meetings that are Ministerial-level and below, especially working group-level meetings.
In Summit-level meetings, the majority of Leaders (except for Brunei, Singapore, and the Philippines) will use their national language, she said.
"Indonesia for example has regulations encouraging the use of Bahasa Indonesia in formal speeches by the President or other high-level officials domestically and internationally.
"Thus, regardless of whether Malay is chosen as a working language of Asean, most leaders will still be utilising their respective national language during Asean Summits."
Philip, however, opined that should Malay become the second language, that is reason enough for country leaders to have a basic understanding of the language.
"Leaders might see it as more of a language for integration rather than one of political/cultural dominance. It would be ideal to have one common language that is understood by a great majority of the Southeast Asia population.
"In fact, Bahasa Melayu has been offered as a foreign language in some renowned universities in China, Korea and Japan. It is also taught in some universities in Europe and there are Malay Studies chairs in certain countries abroad like the US, UK and Australia.
"So, for leaders from Asean member states, they need to know that Bahasa Melayu is known worldwide."
Should Malaysia move forward with this agenda
In light of the growing geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges confronting Asean, Lim Weiling said such as the Myanmar crisis, the situation in the South China Sea, and the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, among many others, Asean may not have the 'appetite' or bandwidth to take on another contentious issue such as language politics.
"Furthermore, Asean's unity has been severely tested in recent years, it is unlikely that Asean will go down the road to engage in non-pressing issues that will further cause division within Asean.
"Should Malaysia wish to play a more constructive role in Asean, it can perhaps take on a stronger leadership role to strengthen Asean's capacity and institutional effectiveness, as well as to streamline its bureaucratic processes.
"Adding another working language to Asean will only proliferate the work of the Asean Secretariat and add further operating resources and costs to its member states."
Meanwhile, Philip said Malaysia needs to seek full support from Indonesia, Brunei via MABBIM Agreement and even Singapore so that the move does not come merely from one country.
The International Council of Malay Language, established on July 2, 1997, and officially launched on Aug 21, 2000, can initiate the move, he said.
"Malaysia alone cannot champion the move. There needs to be full support from Indonesia, Brunei and very likely Singapore. With four nations combined, that will make a dominant group larger than any other single nation within Asean.
"Each member state should not see it as some kind of political caucus because within Asean only these four nations share a commonality in terms of one common language, despite some variations, whereas other countries lack commonality in a single language understood by many across nations."