DIGNITY OF M'SIANS DEPENDS ON STATUS OF MALAY LANGUAGE

KANGAR (Perlis, Malaysia), July 20 (Bernama) -- A higher social status should be given to the Malay language as the dignity of Malaysians depends on the status of the language, which symbolises the sovereignty of the nation and its leaders, according to a socio-linguistics professor.

Prof Dr Teo Kok Seong, who is the Principal Research Fellow at Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation (ATMA) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), said the Malay language should also be positioned above any other languages used in the country at all times.

"In other words, the position of the Malay language should always be above, not at the same level and never below other languages.

"This is because the dignity of the Malaysians depends on the status of the Malay language, which symbolises the sovereignty of the nation and its leaders," he said.

He said this when presenting a working paper entitled "The Role of Malay Language in Creating National Identity and Nation State of Malaysia" in conjunction with the state-level briefing on the National Language Policy here Tuesday.

The professor also said members of the public should always use the Malay language correctly to honour its status as the national language.