Kuala Lumpur - A national laureate Thursday called for immediate measures to prevent Western influence from eroding the values and beauty of the Malay culture and language.
Datuk Syed Alwi Syed Hassan said his fears were founded on the premise that the young of the Malay community were getting bombarded with cultural performances and entertainment of the West.
"These, in both audio and visual form, are being fed continuously to the Malays, especially the young, so much so that they begin to emulate them and make Western identity a part of their culture," he said in an interview with Bernama.
Syed Alwi, 77, said Western cultural performances, both in audio and visual form, were created with in-depth study and fine cultural values so as to entertain listeners and viewers, particularly the young.
"They are unlike the cultural productions of our country which mainly emphasise messages by way of stories or songs and neglect the cultural values which should be delivered with the words or lyrics," he said.
The local works are restricted to conveying ideas but no in- depth study is made for their proper and perfect delivery, he said.
"As such, the listener or viewer gets bored easily and opts for the Western alternative which they feel is more suitable for them," he said.
Syed Alwi said this was resulting in Malays being more inclined to communicate in a language that was a combination of Malay and English which would eventually lead to the Malay language losing its originality.
The fear of an erosion of noble values among the younger Malays was voiced by Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in his policy address at the movement‘s annual general assembly on November 6.
Syed Alwi, awarded the Anugerah Seni Negara in 2002, said the difficulty experienced by national artistes in staging their works of poetry and theatre in the country should also be addressed.
"Artistes are forced to seek sponsorship and venues all over to stage their works, and have to bear with many rejections. Sometimes contributions forthcoming are small compared to the demands of the performance," he said.
Syed Alwi suggested a review of the national education system to incorporate elements of culture such as dance, writing and theatre to ensure cultural perpetuity.
Source: www.bernama.com.my (16 November 2007)
