LETTERS: FEB 21 is International Mother Tongue Day. On that day, there was a comprehensive discussion about the status, function and structure of the languages spoken and used in different speech communities around the world.
There is a need to discuss the past, present and future of Bahasa Malaysia since it has significance in the global context.
It has been a symbol of ethnicity and nationhood of the Malay nation.
In addition, it is the national language of Malaysia and an official language in Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore. In short, it is an international language.
The economic prosperity of Malaysia over the past two decades has helped to establish Bahasa Malaysia internationally.
Malaysia is looking forward to contributing to global society through diplomacy, economy, commerce and culture. It has initiated moves to spread the glory and heritage of the Malay nation to the world.
As a part of this initiative, the country has been active in promoting and spreading Bahasa Malaysia around the world. The Malaysian leadership has realised that language is one of the elements of cultural diplomacy.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, China and South Korea have developed and established institutions like the British Council, the Alliance Francaise, the Goethe Institute, the Japan Foundation, the Confucius Institute and the Korea Foundation for promoting their respective language and culture.
In a similar vein, Malaysia had established Malay institutions to spread Bahasa Malaysia.
That is why the Foreign and Education Ministries have been sponsoring Bahasa Malaysia studies abroad by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
UPSI has established Bahasa Malaysia teaching and research programmes through bilateral academic agreements with universities in Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Under the patronage of the government, UPSI has been promoting Bahasa Malaysia as a foreign language.
The study of Bahasa Malaysia might serve as an instrument for cementing diplomatic relations.
Given the firm ground for the political, social, economic, and cultural foundations of the Malay-Indonesian language in Southeast Asia, I assume that this initiative will help establish Bahasa Malaysia as a global language.
A. B. M. RAZAUL KARIM FAQUIRE
Adjunct Professor, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times