U.S. English Foundation Research
INDONESIA
Language Research
6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other
In the early 1990s, Bahasa Indonesian was primarily the language of government bureaucracy, schools, national print and electronic media, and interethnic communication. In many provinces, it was the language of communication between Chinese shopkeepers and their non-Chinese patrons.
CHINESE
The ethnic Chinese minority, with 3% of the total population, has played a major role in the economy of the country. Since 1959 non-citizen ethnic Chinese have been denied the right to own and operate a business in rural Indonesia. Regulations prohibit the existence of Chinese schools, the formation of Chinese cultural groups or trade associations and public display of Chinese characters. The government permits the publication of a government-owned Chinese language newspaper, but otherwise the legislation bans the import, sale or distribution of Chinese language material, food labels, medicines, clothing and decorations. The law also forbids the celebration of the Chinese New Year in temples or public places.
EAST TIMOR
In 1981 the Indonesian administration tried to force the Church to accept linguistic integration by stipulating that Portuguese should no longer be used during Mass and should be replaced by Indonesian. The clergy rejected this request and applied the Vatican for permission to replace Portuguese with the Tetum language. The Vatican gave its approval in October of 1981. This change in language has helped to integrate the Church even more closely with the community.
Up until 1975, schooling was in the Portuguese language. Chinese was taught in schools outside of the official Catholic school system, but there was no formal instruction in Tetum or any indigenous Timorese language. After 1975, Portuguese was abolished and Bahasa Indonesian took over its place as the new national language of East Timor. The Indonesian government turned its attention to education and linked language with the educational policy. The main reason was that according to the 1980 census, less than 30% of the population of East Timor spoke or understood Indonesian. Conversely, less than 30% of the Indonesian administration in East Timor speaks or understands either Tetum or Portuguese.
To encourage learning the Portuguese language, Portugal has recently sent 183,000 schoolbooks and 4,000 Tetum-Portuguese dictionaries and grammars, along with other teaching material for the schools in East Timor. During the new school year (due to start on October 1, 2000) students in the first two primary grades will be taught in Portuguese. While for older students Indonesian will be the language of instruction, with textbooks revised to exclude Indonesian nationalist ideology. By the year 2004-5, it is hoped Portuguese will have completely replaced Indonesian at schools.
Top of page
|
