The issue of “Bahasa ASEAN” came up again in Thailand,
in a report on Voice TV:
A Chulalongkorn University research
“Human Resources Preparation for the Opening of the ASEAN Market” has found
that Thai will be another important language of communication and a common
language in ASEAN on par with
English because Thailand is the center of
ASEAN. Lately it’s been found that [people in] the neighboring countries such
as Lao PDR, Cambodia and Myanmar have become more interested in learning Thai.
Mr. Sompong Jitpradap, education
lecturer, Chulalongkorn University, revealed that given the research findings,
preparatory steps should be made to export Thai language teachers for
foreigners [to] expand Thai education system. The ASEAN free trade will be an
impetus for a more systematic education reform.
At present Thailand has many teachers
of Thai language and students in Thai language major. However, the number and
the quality of Thai language human resources have not yet been determined.
No
one can fault the Malaysian or Thai officials for desiring to see their
respective national language gain more prominence in the region. Indeed, there
would be a lot of benefits, economically, culturally and politically. At the
same time, however, no one can deny the importance of English, which is the de
facto
Bahasa ASEAN.
The reality is English will continue to
be the most important language in ASEAN for a long time to come—perhaps until
Chinese manages to take over. True, not all citizens of ASEAN are proficient in
English but it is the only language that all ASEAN member countries have common
proficiency and this proficiency will only increase. This is actually where
Thai officials and citizens alike should be very, very concerned about: Thais’
dismal English proficiency.
The ASEAN market will have a free flow
in 2015. That’s barely three years left for Thais to improve English
proficiency, if Thais are really serious about moving ahead in ASEAN. Thais
should also start learning the languages of our neighbors. Promote Thai
language too, of course. All of these can be done, while learning to talk
English seriously. After all, it can only help.
Versions of this debate could easily be held in
Vietnam, Myanmar, and other ASEAN countries.
The point is that we already have a “Bahasa ASEAN”, and it is English,
the language of globalization. ASEAN can
and should support its local languages, but continued improvement in English is
a must for cohesion in all three pillars of ASEAN.
