Kota Kinabalu - Strengthening the national language will be the main focus in capacity building especially in this era of globalisation and a borderless world, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
He said under the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010, his ministry had placed capacity building as the main thrust towards achieving the National Mission and this required the commitment on the part of everyone.
"This is because today, the tentacles of globalisation are showing worrying signs that could affect our multi-racial harmony.
"Thus our main effort will be to strengthen Bahasa Malaysia so that it remains the bedrock of our unity and language of knowledge, based on it being the national language," he said at the launching of the national-level Language and Literature Month (BBSN) at Padang Merdeka here today.
The event was launched by Sabah Yang DiPertua Negeri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah.
Touching on the BBSN programme, Hishammuddin said this was the 10th year it was being held and was very apt towards making Bahasa Malaysia one of the main languages in the world as the programme now involved overseas Malaysians and speakers of the language abroad.
He said foreign students in six private institutions of higher learning were also involved in it while the Southeast Asia Literature Council in its 12th annual general meeting in Jakarta in June resolved to hold similar programmes in the member countries.
"To make the BBSN more eventful next year and the future, we will use the latest technologies available like the Internet Web TV to have more activities to widen the programme`s reach," he added.
Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who also attended the launch, said the unity enjoyed by the people now could be put in jeopardy if the national language was sidelined.
"It is evidently clear, Bahasa Malaysia has been a uniting force and as such, all Malaysians must do their part to ensure it grows from strength to strength," he said.
While Bahasa Malaysia served as the national language, he said, native languages must also not be neglected lest they become extinct.
Source: http://www.bernama.com (October 24, 2008)
