PM Ismail Sabri Yakoob is hot on heels to make the Malay language great again, that is as the second language in Asean, he says in efforts to elevate the local language to international level.
Indeed, the Malay language is already used in several ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines and parts of Cambodia, he says, adding that there were 800,000 Malay-Chams who used Malay in Cambodia and in Vietnam, there were some 160,000 Malay speakers among those of Malay-Cham ancestry.
There is also a small population of Malay speakers in Laos, and he says, “Hence in the whole of ASEAN there are people who can speak Malay. Therefore there is no reason why we cannot make Malay as one of the official languages of ASEAN.”
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