Jakarta (ANTARA) - Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti has asked Indonesians to be more disciplined and confident in using the correct Indonesian language in public spaces.

Disciplined use of the Indonesian language will help elevate its status as the national language, the minister said, and called on all Indonesians to firmly commit to the cause.

“Disciplined use of the Indonesian language in public spaces is our way to reinforce Indonesian language as the national language,” he explained during the “Regional Consolidation for Indonesian Language Monitoring” webinar, which was followed online from here on Friday.

The minister added that consistent efforts to reinforce the habit of using proper Indonesian language in public must be nurtured, for example, by using Indonesian terms on signages in public areas such as public toilets, rather than opting for English terminologies.

If this step is taken consistently by more people, he said he is confident that Indonesians will be more confident in using their national language and not depend on foreign words in daily discourse.

“We are sometimes lacking in confidence with our language, and I believe we must do more to enforce (the status of) Indonesian as our national language with this simple yet meaningful step,” he added.

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Translator: Hana Kinarina, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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