There's no doubt that the majority of the people in Southeast Asia speak Malay, what with the combined populations of Indonesia and Malaysia. But it appears that some people want to go a step further and make Malay the official working language of ASEAN.

According to Bernama, Rais Yatim, a former Minister for Information, Communication and Culture and the current socio-cultural affairs advisor to the Malaysian government, suggested that ASEAN should reflect the dominance of the Malay language at official ASEAN events.

Said Rais:

"The main language in Southeast Asia is Malay but unfortunately, it is not placed where it should be, that is, as the official language of diplomacy and communication at Asean’s official ceremonies and events."

Rais made the pitch at a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 25, after he delivered the keynote speech at the Malay World Meeting 2017 forum.

He added that making Malay the official working language of ASEAN was only "logical", and if it wasn't done, English would supplant it in the region.

In line with PM Najib's proposal

Rais called on the Malay Language Council of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore to effect this change, in line with Prime Minister Najib Razak's proposal to make Malay the official language of ASEAN by 2050.

"As we head towards 2050, I wish to see Bahasa Melayu become Asean's main and official language, as well as a top lingua franca at global level."

Najib said this during a speech at the 2017 International Public Speaking Prime Minister's Trophy competition on Jul. 26.

Rais might be pleased to learn that Malay is already an official language of ASEAN. The regional organisation has in fact 10 official languages.

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Benefit of English as a working language

However, English is already enshrined as the "working language" of ASEAN in Article 34 of the ASEAN charter.

The reason for this is rather obvious -- English is not a native language for any ASEAN country. Therefore its use as a working language ensures that discussions take place on an equal basis among its members.

It also has the added benefit of making negotiations easier with other major economies, such as the US, the U.K. and Australia.

Although it might sound trivial, making Malay the official working language of ASEAN would set up an imbalance between those countries whose native language is Malay, and the rest.

And that would run counter to the efforts to build what the ASEAN motto sets out to achieve: "One Vision, One Identity, One Community."

Top image from ITU Pictures (cropped by TessaWajah) via Wikimedia Commons.

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