The document discusses efforts to promote the use of Malay language among Malays in Singapore, as many young Malays are losing proficiency in their mother tongue. It focuses on the Malay Language Month campaign led by MP Hawazi Daipi, which aims to encourage Malays to use Malay more often through practical rather than softer cultural events. Daipi worries that without efforts to boost the language, Malays may lose the ability to connect with people in neighboring countries that speak Malay and risk mixing the language with bazaar Malay. He advises Malays weak in the language to start practicing it through watching news or reading newspapers to improve.

1. review insight í THE STRAITS TIMES FRIDAY, JULY 2 2010 PAGE A34
v
MALAY LANGUAGE MONTH
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Getting Malays “You are of the same
stock, same ethnic
group, same religion, but
there may be a barrier if
back to using their you can’t speak the
same language.”
Mr Hawazi Daipi, on the concern that
Malays will lose their ability to
connect to and engage with people in
mother tongue the region, in Malaysia and Indonesia
PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR
FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
A growing number of Malay Singaporeans are no longer fluent in
their mother tongue, and the ongoing Malay Language Month aims
to get them to use the language more often. Insight speaks to MP
Hawazi Daipi, who heads the team behind the biennial campaign.
his Malay exams, and is now a studies show that children pick up core nic group, same religion, but there may Malay, before joining Berita Harian in
25-year-old engineering student. language skills before turning six. This is be a barrier if you can’t speak the same 1983. He was the daily’s assistant editor
BY ZAKIR HUSSAIN Other young Malays, however, may why he suggests that adults communicate language,” he says. when he left in 1996 to enter politics.
POLITICAL not be so fortunate in terms of Malay pro- with their young ones in Malay as early Mr Hawazi notes that the Malay com- Two of his siblings are senior Malay
CORRESPONDENT ficiency. and as properly as possible. munity is practical and has accepted Eng- teachers. His older brother Naim Daipi,
Five years ago, a quarter of the Malay Having been the chairman of the Ma- lish as the common language of educa- 61, is a master teacher.
children entering Primary 1 came from lay Language Council since 2008, Mr Ha- tion, profession and commerce here. His younger brother Noh Daipi, 52, is
English-speaking homes. Today, that pro- wazi worries that the community might But what its leaders now want to pro- assistant director at the Education Minis-
EIGHTEEN years ago, Mr Hawazi Daipi portion has risen to a third. one day lose its spontaneity in the lan- mote is an effective bilingualism. try’s curriculum planning and develop-
got a shock when his son, then seven, Mr Hawazi, who is Senior Parliamenta- guage. He says: “We hope to reach out to ment division and head of the new Malay
came home from school one day and ry Secretary for Health and Manpower, He also worries that parents may not young parents and professionals, and Language Centre of Singapore. The cen-
asked the meaning of the word “buaya”. worries that many of them will stop using think it necessary to help their children highlight that it is to their advantage to tre trains Malay teachers for a more dy-
Malay once they leave school. use Malay. Worse, they resign themselves be able to express themselves well in Ma- namic language environment.
The realisation that his son did not
This changing demographic spurred or- to the notion that the children will be bad lay, particularly if they do business or Mr Hawazi acknowledges that young
know such a common term as the Malay people who are weak in Malay may have
ganisers of this year’s Malay Language at it. work with counterparts in Malaysia or In-
word for crocodile led him and his wife to fears about using the language. But he ad-
Month to try a new tack in a bid to amelio- Equally troubling would be a situation donesia or Brunei.”
resolve to speak Malay at home more of- vises them to make a start anyway.
rate this state of affairs. where bazaar Malay becomes the preva- For the first time, 200 language ambas-
ten. “No one can master a language with-
Where previous events tended to focus lent form of Malay used in the communi- sadors in schools have been appointed to
He was then a journalist with Malay on softer aspects such as the beauty of ty. “If we reach that stage, our communi- help their peers use Malay. out practising it,” he says.
language daily Berita Harian, and his the language and its link to Malay cul- ty may not be able to distinguish between Eight community personalities who He suggests that they watch the Malay
wife, a geography teacher. Like many ture, this year’s has a practical focus. good conduct and otherwise, because in- are effectively bilingual have also been news on TV and read the newspapers.
middle-class professional Malays, Eng- Its slogan is a hard-nosed “Bahasa Ki- herent in the Malay language are forms of named to spark public interest. They in- His late father, who plied a vessel sup-
lish had been the language most used at ta. Gunakanlah” (“Our Language. Use respect towards people with whom we clude the first Singapore Idol winner Tau- plying food to ships in the harbour,
home. It”). speak,” he says. fik Batisah, who Mr Hawazi notes “takes would, without fail, buy the daily Malay
Mr Hawazi knew the importance of a “If you want to be proficient in Malay, Beyond the fear of Malays losing the the trouble to express himself well in Ma- paper – Utusan Melayu and later Berita
good foundation in English, having strug- you have to start using it first,” explains heritage and traditions that are best con- lay, and his efforts have paid off”. Harian – for his children to read.
gled to master it while attending Malay- Mr Hawazi, 56. veyed through the Malay language, there He also hopes the ambassadors demon- “It gave me a good foundation in the
medium schools till the age of 16. But real- Grandparents and parents often la- is also the concern that they will lose strate that while it might not be that easy language. I would encourage everyone
ising that the pendulum had swung too ment that when they speak in Malay to their ability to connect to and engage to learn Malay, people can master the lan- who wants to be able to use a language
far towards English, he started his son on their young children, the reply often with people in the region, in Malaysia and guage if they set their minds to it. well, to read regularly and start with the
more intensive Malay exposure. comes in English, he notes. Indonesia. Mr Hawazi worked for five years as a newspaper.”
The effort paid off. The son got As for It comes as no surprise to him, for “You are of the same stock, same eth- teacher, including a brief stint teaching zakirh@sph.com.sg
A special empathy, an instant connection
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean is Malay, while stressing that this was as a
one of the few non-Malay government supplement to and not at the expense of
leaders who can speak Malay. He was guest English and a person’s mother tongue. He
of honour at the launch of the Malay shares with Insight his own experience
Language Month last Saturday. In his learning Malay and how he balances it with
speech, he encouraged more people to learn the need to speak Mandarin.
BY JEREMY AU YONG our task force to car-
ry out their mission
í Why did you take Malay as a second effectively.
language in school? During the two oc-
casions I visited our
I went to a Chinese language kindergarten troops in Aceh, it
for one year. And then to St Michael’s was useful to be able
School, an English-medium school. In Pri- to speak to their offi-
mary 1 and 2 we were required to take both cials and people in
Chinese and Malay. their language. Dur-
For Primary 3, we had to choose either ing the handing-over
Malay or Chinese. This was 1963 – the year ceremony in Meu-
that we joined Malaysia. My father chose laboh when we con-
Malay for me. Many of my other classmates cluded our mission, I
did so too. When we left Malaysia in 1965 spoke in Bahasa Indo-
we continued to take Malay in school up to nesia, to address Malay Language Month ambassador and cooking show host Asmah Laili uses her culinary
Secondary 4. I continued to take Chinese tu- their soldiers, and classes to lift the lid on the secrets of language success. BH FILE PHOTO
ition for several years at a basic level. the local people who
í Was it difficult to learn Malay? had gathered to say
It was not difficult to learn, but I was an av-
erage student. While I was in secondary
school, the spelling and pronunciation were
thank you.
Nine of our
generals/admirals in
Mami Asmah’s recipe
changed and standardised. But this had no
major impact on the learning of the lan-
guage.
the SAF speak Malay
or Bahasa Indonesia,
such as Chief of De-
fence Force Lieuten-
for fluency in Malay
í Did anybody else in your family speak Mr Teo handing General Wiranto a bag of rice and a box of medical
ant-General Neo Ki-
WHEN 19-year-old Asmah Laili re- others communicate in proper Malay,
Malay? supplies in August 1998. Speaking in Bahasa Indonesia helped Mr Teo form an Hong, Chief of Ar- turned home from work at Radio Singa- as her father did.
Ours was an English-speaking home with a deeper connection with the Indonesians. ST FILE PHOTO my Major-General
Chan Chun Sing, as pore in 1959, she would often get a She began school at a Malay-medi-
Teochew also used. We did not speak Ma- scolding from her father. um school in Siglap, but in Primary 2
lay at home. But “bazaar” Malay – a simple well as Commander
It was not because of her late hours. switched to Raffles Girls’. She later
colloquial form of basic Malay – was com- í Were there any specific events that stick Tradoc (Army Training and Doctrine Com-
His anger was over his daughter’s joined Tanjong Katong Girls’ School.
monly used in Singapore for communica- in your mind where you were thankful you mand) Brigadier-General Tan Chuan Jin.
Malay enunciation, which he felt was She has hosted a range of radio and
tion across races. My parents, as with most knew the language? These officers either studied Malay, or at-
not good enough. TV programmes, and more recently be-
others in that generation, could speak some Two specific examples. In August 1998, I tended courses or served in Malaysia or In- The Malay schoolteacher would gan doing cooking shows on air. She
Malay. went to Jakarta to deliver humanitarian aid donesia. even phone her at the office to correct has also edited six cookbooks.
flown in from Singapore by C-130 during í How do you maintain your fluency with her. Students attending her cooking
í How did you practise speaking it? the financial crisis. At the handing-over cer- the language these days? classes pick up not only cooking tips,
“You went to an English school, but
I used Malay mainly in the school context. emony at the airport, I decided to speak in I use it when I meet my Malay constituents now you are working for a Malay sta- but also Malay words – such as leng-
In secondary school I was a member of the Bahasa Indonesia to express more directly during house visits and meet-the-people tion. You have to speak the language kuas (galangal) or serai (lemongrass).
Malay language society, and took part in our solidarity with the Indonesian people. sessions. It gives them the reassurance that properly. If we can’t speak our lan- “Sometimes young Malays want to
Malay oratorical contests including those Unknown to me, General Wiranto, the then I can empathise with them and understand guage well, who else will?” she recalls speak in Malay but are afraid of using
organised by 4PM, the Malay Youth Liter- Indonesian Armed Forces commander had their problems. Several times a year, I give him saying. the wrong word. I tell them it’s OK to
ary Association at their old premises in Ja- decided to give his speech in English – it speeches in Malay – Hari Raya, National Today, the popular cooking show switch between Malay and English so
lan Eunos. Oratorical contests are easier was a special effort on his part, and he had host, who conducts classes at commu- long as the intention to learn is there,”
Day, Haj send-off, cultural events. I also
than debates because you deliver a pre- decided to do so in order to express more di- nity clubs in Malay and English, is she says.
read the newspapers.
pared speech instead of having to debate in rectly his thanks to us. These gestures – to known for her Malay language skills, Two of her grandchildren live in
the language. make an effort to speak to a friend in a lan- í How do you balance it with the need to as well as an ability to switch effort- Kuala Lumpur, where her elder daugh-
Other activities included appreciating guage that was most comfortable for him – know Mandarin? lessly between Malay and English. ter works, and are fluent in the lan-
drama and pantun (Malay poetry), and pro- were appreciated, and helped establish a I resumed learning Mandarin as an adult, Known in the Malay community as guage.
ducing an occasional news-sheet. deeper connection. and continue to take lessons weekly. I use Mami (Mummy) Asmah, she is one of But her other three grandchildren,
The second and more significant exam- Mandarin more than Malay now in my inter- eight prominent community personali- who live in Singapore, sound stilted
í How have you benefited from knowing ple was during the tsunami relief operation actions with residents and with counter- when they speak to her in Malay, she
ties to be named an ambassador for
this language? in Aceh. The key SAF commanders in our parts from China. I also give more speeches this year’s Malay Language Month, admits.
Knowledge of Malay is useful in interac- humanitarian relief task force had been in Mandarin than I do in Malay. As a result, which was launched on Saturday and “But that’s OK. Better to sound
tions with my Indonesian and Malaysian trained or had served in Indonesia and my fluency in Mandarin is now better than continues until July 25. strange now than not have any confi-
counterparts. Being able to greet each other spoke Bahasa Indonesia. This provided in- Malay – it boils down to how often you use She credits her late father Laili Ibra- dence using Malay when they grow
or open a conversation in their language is stant connection not only with the officials the language. him for helping her improve her spo- up,” she says.
useful in establishing rapport. I have also but with the people there. Our officers re- ken Malay. When she was young, he of- “Besides, sounding formal is not a
found it useful to be able to read the Malay- ported that you could literally see the peo- í Do any of your children speak or ten made her read the Malay newspa- bad thing. I see it as a sign that they
sian Malay language newspapers – it gives ple break out in smiles when we conversed understand Malay? pers aloud. The effort paid off. are respecting the language and the
me a deeper insight into their psyche and with them. There is a special empathy in My children do not speak or understand Ma- Today, the 69-year-old mother of person with whom they are speaking,”
real thinking, which is not usually reflected those difficult moments when you are able lay. My wife is fluent in Malay as she grew two and grandmother of five makes it she adds.
in their English language media. to speak the same language. This helped up in Malaysia. a point to help her grandchildren and ZAKIR HUSSAIN