Linguistic Nationalism

I am an Indonesian. The first language I learned to use was Bahasa Indonesia. However, due to circumstances in my life, my family, my education, and my peers, the language I mainly use now is English.

Does that mean that I am a traitor to the nation? No.
Does that mean that I am not proud of my national identity? No.
(For those of you who know me personally, please try to remember that this is a generic/proverbial/hypothetical "I", so try not to laugh too hard. =P)

What does this mean? Simply that for practical reasons, I prefer to use English as my main language. Nothing more, nothing less.

What I can't seem to understand is why things like this pop up, lamenting the widespread "epidemic" of the English language in Indonesia.

The fact of the matter is that the increasing use of an international language does not necessarily imply that our national integrity has been jeopardized.

Let's think of it this way: when the Indonesian youth decided to gather in 1928 and decide of a unified language primarily in order to make communication easier between them, I'm pretty sure that somewhere, in some corners of society, people were lamenting the threat that the Indonesian language posed to their tribal identities. And yet, eighty years later, we have an integrated Indonesia with a unified method of communication, and local/tribal identities are far from dead.

The bottom line is, in 1928, they figured out that the best way to make interaction easier and more friendly between people from thousands of different islands is by creating a common language. The exact same thing is happening now! Indonesians, along with the rest of the world's 6+ billion people, are trying to make communication easier as well as strengthen global ties by adapting an international language. Granted, the language of choice (English) was imposed upon the world due to colonialism and the world's current balance of power, but the practical benefits of "conforming" to this global language are undeniable.

One of the areas where this benefit is most visible and significant is business. With the growing realization that expanding businesses domestically simply isn't enough, people need to prepare for doing business internationally. That's why, for example, Americans need to start learning Chinese culture. That's also why, to address the previous link on this post, Indonesian firms prefer English-fluent candidates, in order to better interact with potential international clientele. Rather than take the extreme (and perhaps conspiracy-theorist) conclusion of a waning national integrity, why not take this as a positive sign that Indonesians are striving for success in the international level? After all, the seeming lack of international competitiveness in Indonesia is another much-lamented issue.

So, the benefits are there. But how do we adapt to a global language without losing our "national identity"? Well, I don't really know, and I don't really care, because that's a matter completely within an individual's private sphere. Some people might overuse English in inappropriate situations while trying to appear smart, yet only end up looking like pompous asses. Others may end up making conscious efforts to speak their local language 100% of the time, lest they end up forgetting it completely. Others may be able to strike some sort of balance, finding different environments to speak both languages actively every day.

Whichever method works for you, just remember that this is not an epidemic. It is simply a sign of the times, and we should embrace it rather than shun it. After all, if I had written this post in Bahasa Indonesia, it wouldn't reach half as many people, would it? =P

Pork Politics

The Economist reports that the Egyptian government is slaughtering 250 thousand pigs in Cairo, many of which belong to the population of Coptic Christians, just because of a supposed swine flu scare which hasn't even reached Egypt.

Also, quoted from Reuters (full article):

Outbreaks of swine flu have prompted several countries to ban the import of pork, raising the prospect the disease will add a further protectionist blow to sagging world trade.

International trade rules allow countries to restrict or ban imports for health and safety reasons -- but this has to be based on scientific evidence. The World Health Organization says swine flu does not spread by eating infected pork.

It's unbelievable how governments will immediately pounce on any opportunity to politicize absolutely everything.