If Southeast Asia really needs to have official languages, choosing all the national languages of the ASEAN countries would be a prudent move. The idea of nominating one language to do the work of many is absurd. If Southeast Asia really needs to have official languages, choosing all the national languages of the ASEAN countries would be a prudent move ( Z/Unsplash) However, the two languages are barely understood by most people in the rest of ASEAN, including in the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. Malay is spoken in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei and understood to a certain degree by Indonesian speakers. Indonesian is spoken only in Indonesia and understood to a certain degree by Malay speakers in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The official languages of the African Union are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili and “any other African language”. It recognises 24 official languages, which represent those spoken in the member states. When it comes to regional organisations, most do not have a single “official language”. In response, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in April said the Malaysian prime minister’s idea should be discussed further with ASEAN members, while Indonesian Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim categorically rejected Malaysia’s idea. So, what is the “appropriate” official language for ASEAN?
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