BY LEONG Z-KEEN
A dedicated task force is needed if the Sarawak government is looking to preserve and maintain the local language and culture.
Ba’kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian said the task force would be entrusted with creating an official inventory to document the sub-ethnic groups and languages found in Sarawak.
“It will develop and propose a Sarawak Language Policy that will promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism as integral components of Sarawak’s cultural heritage, and establish guidelines for the preservation, revitalization, and promotion of indigenous languages, dialects, and cultures.
“Most importantly, it will advocate for the integration of indigenous languages and cultural content into formal education curricular at all levels, ensuring the transmission of cultural knowledge and traditions to future generations,” he said.
He stated this when tabling the debate on the motion of thanks for the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s address.
Besides that, Bian also expressed it was timely for the state to have a Sarawak Language Ordinance as a way to integrate indigenous languages and culture into the formal education syllabus while ensuring cultural knowledge continues to be taught to future generations.
“Sarawak has her own separate identity as a land with many native communities co-existing in harmony, and we should do everything possible to ensure that none of our communities and their languages being forgotten or becoming extinct,” he added.
Earlier in his debate, Bian mentioned one of the principles in the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People” (UNDRIP), which is “Free, Prior and Informed Consent” (FPIC), included Sarawak, but there were no proper guidelines in reinforcing the principle.
Therefore, he wished the Sarawak government mandate the principle in line with international standards to protect the native’s rights.
