Language as a Medium of Solidarity: The Case of Malay Language in Forging Solidarity and Patriotism Among Malaysians
Universiti Putra Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Malaysia is a nation state with a plural society in terms of race, culture, creed and language. Hence the questions of national integration and solidarity are critical issues in the effort of national development towards a developed status by 2020 as proposed by the government. This paper will focus discussion on the concepts of Malaysian nation state, national integration and solidarity, and will propose several strategies towards developing national integration and solidarity, namely 1) empowering Malay language as the language of education and higher learning, and 2) instilling the spirit of patriotism among Malaysians by making Malaysia as their homeland. Paul Kennedy’s modelity of development in his Preparing for the Twenty-first Century (1994: 334-335), is used to evaluate Malaysia’s viability of achieving the developed status as targeted.
KEYWORDS
Heterogenus, national integration, cultural solidarity, nation state, patriotism