Kota Belud: Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Malaysians took pride at having been united through a common language.
Being able to communicate in the Malay language, the people of various racial backgrounds had inevitably promoted a Malaysian identity, he said. He was launching the Malaysian Pribumi Community Education Conference, hosted by Sabah at Kampung Rampayan Laut, near here. His speech was delivered by his deputy Datuk Hon Choon Kim.
While the Government supported the promotion of the mother tongues of the respective races, such as Kadazandusun in Sabah and Iban-Dayak in Sarawak, in schools, he said it could not be denied that the Malay language is the unifying factor of the Malaysian identity.
According to Hishammuddin, similar conferences were held in neighbouring countries Thailand, Bangladesh and India.
He pointed out that the conference was aimed at promoting greater awareness on the promotion and conservation of the respective mother tongues, within the context of the Malay language and the National Education Policy.
Also present were Kota Belud MP Datuk Salleh Tun Said Keruak, Tempasuk Assemblyman Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Haji Mulia and Sarawak Environment and Public Facilities Minister Datuk Michael Muyen.
Source: www.dailyexpress.com (25 April 2007)
