JOHOR BARU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has called upon Malaysians to stand proud of Bahasa Melayu, as it is one of the top languages in the world.

       He added that Bahasa Melayu can stand as high as other international languages in the world.

       “Currently, there are more than 6,000 languages still in use, but only 20 languages are categorised and given official language status.

       “In this context, we should feel proud because Bahasa Melayu is one of the 20 languages, and ranked in 10th spot as one of the most popular language in the world,” he added.

       Ismail Sabri said this in his speech during the opening of the 2021 Bahasa Melayu International Public Speaking (PABM) competition held at Dewan Sultan Iskandar in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here on Sunday (Nov 28) night.

       He also advised government agencies, government linked companies and private companies that were seen using less Bahasa Melayu either in their conference, meetings, project names and their product brands.

       Ismail Sabri hopes to see more usage of the national language in various affairs, including for meetings and conferences.

       “Bahasa Melayu has successfully overcome the test of time where at the present moment, there are many efforts to grow and strengthen Bahasa Melayu at both national and international levels in line with changes in technology.

       “The government is committed to ensuring that the policies enacted will support efforts to uphold Bahasa Melayu,” he added.

       He added the government strongly encourages the implementation of linguistic and literary programs and activities that can further inspire the spirit of love for Bahasa Melayu.