I remembered posting up to Utusan Malaysia many moons ago complaining about our lack of appreciation towards Bahasa Malaysia. Many moons ago I was a bit radical and have the supremacist mentality by supporting legal enforcement on the usage of the national language. But today I feel that any amount of draconian or legal enforcement would not change the heart of many. The love of the Malay language comes from education and integration with the wider society, true to the Malay proverb, "tidak kenal maka tidak cinta".
The lack of integration with the wider Malay-speaking society could be possibly one of the reasons many Chinese and Indians do not see the worth of speaking it nor passing it on to their children. This reflects a deeper hidden polarisation within society which stems out from socio-political differences, which is very hard to overcome.
Besides, the dominance of English as the world's lingua franca, and the emerging Mandarin as a new international language would probably pose a challenge to Malaysians to defend their unique heritage. It calls for parents and students to cherish and celebrate, not only the ability to speak in multiple languages, but also to share in the passion of defending our cultural identity.
Probably if there is genuine reconciliation with the bumiputera and the kaum pendatang, and a promise of a true future together, maybe all of us would be more passionate about our national heritage.
Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa
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