Bahasa Malaysia – the national language for all Malaysians
JULIET'S infamous phrase "A rose by any other name would still smell as
sweet" has been quoted and misquoted more often than Shakespeare could have
possibly imagined. I have to disagree with her on the principle that a name
means much more than just a name.
For example, when “Malaya” became “Malaysia” after achieving
independence in 1957, the change in our country's name signified the discarding
of our colonial shackles and pointed to a new beginning for a young multi-ethnic
and multi-religious nation.
Similarly, the formalisation of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language of
Malaysia and as the main medium of instruction in national schools [since 1970]
signified the intention to build a national identity and foster national
unity based on a common language.
Malaysia has come a long way since those heady days of independence 45 years
ago. Bahasa Malaysia is widely spoken and is the common language of
communication for most Malaysians. And yet there are still those who do not feel
a sense of affinity, loyalty and ownership of our national language.
There are many reasons for this, including being in an environment which is not
conducive or encouraging towards the use and study of Bahasa Malaysia.
But another possible obstacle could be the use or rather the lack of use of the
proper name for our national language, Bahasa Malaysia, which implies that it is
Malaysia's language for all Malaysians.
Indeed calling Bahasa Malaysia by any other name would seem to imply that it is
a language used by and is the preserve of a particular community. This seems
like an unhelpful step towards the already difficult
and sensitive task of ensuring the widespread use and sense of loyalty towards
our national language.
China, to unite the many disparate regions with its different dialects, chose
Mandarin as its national language and called it pudong hua or ‘common
tongue’. That name indicates a language that should be and is used commonly by
different peoples across the different regions in China regardless of social
status and economic wealth.
Indonesia, with an archipelago spanning over 13,000 islands, chose to call its
national language “Bahasa Indonesia” to indicate its status as the national
language of all Indonesians. Malaysia has followed suit by naming our national
language “Bahasa Malaysia” – the national language for all Malaysians.
But there still remain certain quarters which continue to refer to Bahasa
Malaysia, whether in a public or private, formal or informal context, as
something other than "Bahasa Malaysia". A quick check of our country's
Constitution reveals that references to our country's national language do not
name it as “Bahasa Malaysia”. Would it not be helpful to foster a sense of
ownership of Bahasa Malaysia by all Malaysians if all references to the national
language in [Article 152 of] our Constitution could be
changed to “Bahasa Malaysia”?
Indeed,
I would go further and encourage all public institutions to refer to our
national language as “Bahasa Malaysia”, both verbally and in written form. I
would also encourage all Malaysians to refer to our national language as
“Bahasa Malaysia”.
Although many people and institutions unconsciously use Bahasa Malaysia
interchangeably with other names and have no intention whatsoever to present
Bahasa Malaysia as the preserve of a particular community, the ill effects of
such actions can be subtle and long lasting.
If possible, even references to Bahasa Malaysia in other languages commonly used
in Malaysia should be changed such that it reflects the common ownership of
Bahasa Malaysia by all Malaysians. A country's national language and its name
should reflect the nature, composition and spirit of that country. “Bahasa
Malaysia” is reflective of the roots of our country, our multi-ethnic
composition and our unity in diversity.
We couldn't imagine calling Malaysia anything other than “Malaysia”. In the
same way, we shouldn't call Bahasa Malaysia anything other than “Bahasa
Malaysia”.
New Straits Times, 1 July 2002
Kavya, August 2002