Indonesia wants its language to become one ASEAN official language

Indonesia will work to make Indonesian become one of official languages of ASEAN, according to Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim.

In a statement on April 4, Makarim stressed that Indonesian language is worth to become an ASEAN official language on account of its historical, legal, and linguistic advantages.

At the international level, Indonesian has become the most spoken language in Southeast Asia and has spread to 47 countries around the world, he said.

The Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) learning activity has been held by 428 institutions, he noted, adding that Indonesian language is taught as a university subject in several world-class campuses in Europe, the US, Australia, and Asia.

With all these factors, Indonesian could become the intermediate language for official ASEAN meetings, he said.

In March, Malaysia also proposed to promote its language as an official and intermediate language of ASEAN. In this regard, Makarim said that Malaysia's aspiration still need to be considered and discussed further at the regional level./.

VNA