Johari Abdul: Strengthen Malaysia’s Cultural Identity

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said the cultural diversity in this country should be promoted as Malaysian culture, rather than being associated with specific races.

He said efforts to strengthen the concept of 'Malaysianisation' need to be driven together not only by the government, but also by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and society.

“We have a lot of culture. There are Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Sabah and Sarawak cultures. But what we need to do now is to 'Malaysianise' these cultures so that they become Malaysian cultures," he said during the Dialogue Programme with Leaders of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) here today.

Taking the dragon dance as an example, Johari said that the dance deserves to be recognised as a Malaysian heritage because it is now performed by the various races.

“The dragon dance is indeed beautiful, and in Malaysia, we now have Indian and Malay children performing it," he said.

He suggested that more educational and debate programmes be organised to empower languages, including Mandarin and Tamil, which are seen as part of the Malaysian culture.

He emphasised the importance of multilingualism among the younger generation as preparation for an increasingly challenging future.

“I'd like to promote the idea that, if possible, Malaysian children speak four languages. Speak good Malay as the national language, speak good English as an international language and speak Mandarin well, as it's a business language, and why not speak Tamil,” he said.

He also said that learning languages and cultures should not be politicised because it is knowledge that benefits all citizens.

He added that these need to be interpreted dynamically, and that we must see the world with a broad perspective and act quickly so as not to fall behind.

-- BERNAMA