Need to safeguard Malay language

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Forwarded from the Daily Express,
INDEPENDENT NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF EAST MALAYSIA

16 June, 2005

Need to safeguard Malay language: Nasir

Tawau: More efforts are needed to check the Malay language from
deteriorating and losing its honour, said Minister in the Chief Minister's
Department Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran. "We don't want the Malay language to
suffer the same fate of other languages that have become extinct because
their race had sidelined their own mother tongue," he said. "Such
phenomena would bring about detrimental effects to the national culture,
apart from hampering the effort to mould a united Malaysian race and
identity," he said at the State Student Forum 2005 competition at a hotel,
here, Wednesday.

His speech was read by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datu
Nasrun Datu Mansur. Despite being the nation's official language, lately
it was as though being challenged following the issue of bahasa rojak
(mixed language). In this respect, Nasir believed events such as the
Student Forum are the right platform towards creating a generation who not
only excels in public speaking but also possess good command of the Malay
language.

Also on hand were Sabah Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Director, Zubaidi Abas,
and Sabah Chinese High School Principal, Lee Oi Lin.


Copyright  Daily Express, Sabah, Malaysia