Singapore govt gives more funds for Malay language

Efforts to encourage the use of the Malay language are getting a boost. The Singapore government has raised its annual contribution to the Malay Language Council of Singapore (MBMS) from S$100,000 to S$150,000, provided the council collects at least S$30,000 a year.

The increase was announced by council chairman Hawazi Daipi at the launch of the Malay Language Month last Saturday. The money goes towards activities to promote the language and its use.

The increase comes as the new Malay Language Centre is set to open next month. Located at the Ministry of Education's language centre in Bishan, it will hold training courses and workshops for about 1,300 Malay language educators.

Such support reflects the government's commitment to promoting the Malay language in Singapore, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, in Malay. Teo learnt Malay as a second language in school, and was chairman of the Malay Society when he was in National Junior College.

In his speech at the launch, he urged the Malay community to encourage Malays to use the language.

"This is a responsibility not only of teachers and members of the Malay literary and cultural community, but of the community as a whole," he said.

The theme of this year's celebrations is 'Bahasa Kita. Gunakanlah' (Our Language. Use It). The effort is spearheaded by Hawazi, who is also Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Manpower. Over the next month, 57 activities including poetry competitions, drama performances, and blog-writing and song-writing workshops will be held at library branches, community centres and schools all over the island.

The Straits Times/ANN