COMMENT | Debates on language have divided our society

COMMENT | All languages are sources of social cohesion intellectual growth, and community development. To debate about which language to master, versus which “mother tongue” to suppress, is an arrogant and selfish endeavour.

In Malaysia, these debates are the result of ethnocentric and supremacist ideologies. Over the decades, they have divided our society. This is a major reason why our nation continues to be in a deep crisis.

A majority of us blame our politicians, and rightfully so.

The debate about language should centre on two things: our national identity, and the current global lingua franca. Once we understand these two concepts, we can develop healthy strategies that would unite us as a nation.

A lingua franca is a language used as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse...