SINGAPORE: During the “Malay Language: Role And Value In The Region” forum on Tuesday, The Straits Times quoted Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing saying; “Only by learning the Malay language will we continue to remain relevant to the region and the world at large”.

Chan who spoke in both English and Malay at the forum added that proficiency in Malay could help Singapore bridge South-East Asia and the rest of the world.

The forum was the first in a series, organised by Singapore’s Berita Harian, that aims to acquaint non-native Malay speakers with the language and culture through dialogues and workshops.

The programme is supported by state-owned company Temasek Holdings’ philanthropic arm Temasek Foundation Connects.

Malay is Singapore’s national language and one of the republic’s official languages together with Mandarin, Tamil and English.

Sharing his own experience learning both Malay and Indo­nesian when he served in the army, Chan said it helped him “open a window into a different culture” and to understand the different regional cultures.

Temasek Foundation Connects chief executive Lim Hock Chuan was quoted as saying the Malay language connected many people through a sense of kinship and shared identity.

In Malaysia, Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has called for vernacular schools in the country to ensure their students mastered the Malay language.

“The success of the vernacular schools in getting their pupils to master the national language will help build a united nation and minimise the uneasiness of some communities towards vernacular schools,” Sultan Nazrin said.

The Sultan also added that it was contradictory and ironic that a Malaysian citizen could not understand, speak, write and read in the national language. — Bernama