Malaysia Wants More Language, Culture Research With Indonesia

By Azeman Ariffin JAKARTA, July 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia wants to have more joint research on language and culture with Indonesian tertiary institutions in the effort to promote Malay culture in the archipelago. Socio-cultural advisor to the government, Dr Rais Yatim said for a start, a collaborative programme would be launched at Universitas Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, Sulawesi next year. Rais who is also president of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), said the launch would be attended by Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla. “Other than that, there will also be an exchange programme of students and lecturers from both countries,” he told Bernama after a meeting with Jusuf at the office of the Vice-President, here, Thursday. Rais said lecturers of calibre in the study of culture at Universitas Hasanuddin would be offered to become fellows at the Centre of Malay Studies and Islamic Civilisation, IIUM. “The university in Makassar was selected as it is in Bugis land and the culture there has many similarities with Malay culture in Malaysia and Sumatra in Indonesia,” he added. Rais said during his meeting with Jusuf, he also raised the proposal made two years ago for Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu to be made a wider topic for post-graduate studies. He said the Malay and Indonesian languages should be promoted as languages of the archipelago to develop the spirit of oneness in future generations. Earlier, Rais with the leaders of the Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) paid a courtesy call on Indonesian House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon at the Parliament building, here. During the meeting, he said Malaysia hoped that leaders and former elected representatives in both countries could organise activities at the archipelago and ASEAN regional levels. Meanwhile, Mubarak president Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said the council would hold talks with Indonesian former elected representatives on the proposal to organise activities which would give more focus on educating the younger generation. He said in Malaysia, Mubarak had organised the Undergraduates Parliament and the same could be done at the ASEAN level. -- BERNAMA