National language policy
Artist's impression of a national language rally at Merdeka Stadium in 1962. The late Tun Syed Nasir is seen addressing the rally, flanked by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak.
Malaysia is one of several nations—including Norway, Israel, Tanzania and Indonesia—that has designated a specific national language, in this case Malay. Similar to these other nations, Malaysia has explicit policies relating both to its national language and the to the other languages spoken in the nation. These policies have focused on maintaining and enhancing the status of Malay, as well as its development into a language able to meet the demands of the diverse roles that it fulfils as a result of its official status.
- Information in the full article includes
- The choice of national language
- Managing language development
- Regional policy development