Why Iban is not official language in Sarawak?

Question

Ibans are the largest race in Sarawak, Ibans are more than Malays in Sarawak and more than Chinese. We only have Iban language till SPM level. Official language is only Malay, many poeple use English. No public use of Iban. Why Ibans aren't given equal status with Malays? Bumi rights don't matter much if there is no recognition of Iban language and culture. Iban power!

Answer 1

I agree with Sarah. Though I've met quite a number of Muslim Ibans... And they still speak Iban among themselves.

The answer is with politicians. They will never allow any race other than Malay to play the leading role (they give bits to the Chinese but it's only because Chinese have the money).
Malay way is to bash everyone who holds a different opinion and that's also what's going on in this section of Yahoo Answers.

But I think part of the fault is on the side of Ibans: they don't strugle for it. It's kind of weird when someone tries to steal your identity and incorporate you into some mixture of nations. That's what happened in Soviet Union and Yugoslavia: Russians were trying to build a "Soviet nation", a mixture of races and religions, and they were also proud of their peacefulness and multiracial society but at the end thay ended up parted and in wars and tensions (Chechnia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Dagistan, Ingushetya, Nagorno-Karabakh...). In Yugoslavia everything worked fine for four decades, then things started boiling slowly until everything turned into a genocide in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo (places with significant Serb minorities). The idea of Yugoslavian nation didn't survive. Malays will never give up their 'ketuanan Melayu'.

As far as I heard the only university teaching Iban is Beijing University. If there is ever to be a second official language in Malaysia it will be English, but never any of national minorities languages as some people see it as a threat to the Malay agenda. But I don't see any obstacle if Iban becomes second official language in Sarawak, alongside with Malay... which is likely not going to happen.

Now, may I see 'thumbs down'?

Answer 2

AQ is right... thumbs up! But in Sarawak you are in a better situation than we in Sabah. At least Iban is a living language widely spoken and understood, and not in any immediate danger of extinction. That has probably its historic reasons because under the Brooke's Rule Iban was an official language and it was also spoken at court. Many British officers were fluent in Iban. Malay then was only a vehicular language as it is a common tongue in the archipelago. In Sabah, never any local language was accepted. The British imposed English, and I know a lot of old people who did not know to speak Malay when they were young. Why, I mean, the language then was not indigenous and not an official language... nowadays local Sabah languages disapear very fast with the younger generation not knowing any more how to converse in their mothertongue. The parents are to be blamed, largely, because they want to ensure their children 'do better' at school. I don't understand this attitude, because the more languages you speak, the better for your brain and life! The situation in Sabah is now such that many young people speak mediocre Malay, no English, and hardly any indigenous language. If that is good for the future of the country... But it shows that government propaganda works and "Malay-sation" of the population is on its way here... Ah, I like that slogan "unity in diversity"....!

Answer 3

you must have forgotten the Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (Treaty of Malaysians 1963) which stated that the official language for malaysia is bahasa malaysia, in return other languages may be spoken, "last month i read an article responded by the Yang Dipertua of Sarawak said that if we use bahasa iban or kadazan in politic or everyday life, then nobody will understand you, moreover if you're Iban muslim and entered UMNO, of course you don't speak bahasa iban or fight for the ibanese... because UMNO is fighting for the malay okey... i had been to sabah before, i realise that the english proficientcy is better than the peninsular... i felt sorry for the ibanese although they are considered as bumiputra but treated like non-bumiputra, i hope soon a day something will change to better... i hope that one day everyone in malaysia regardless either you are malay, chinese, indian, iban, kadazan, bidayuh, siamese, or portuguese everyone will received equality, fair and justice... (not "hak keistimewaan" of any races)

Answer 4

The iban people should had fight for it when asked to join malaysia 1960's..

having said that, bahasa melayu is official language.. this is to avoid confusion between both federal & state government. same like the time zone stuff.. all have to be set as same as peninsular malaysia time..

but i think iban still a subject in SPM examination & widely spoke out throughout sarawak,.. i dont think this language will be forgotten..

Answer 5

Iban people i met are usually very 'berkumpulan' people. they rarely mixed up with people. not even the bidayuhs, let alone malays. this is only my view towards ibanese people. in hostel, they lead the hostel like their own, least respecting other people. its very hard to be an ibanese's roommates, especially if their friends dominated the whole level. and they speak their own language in the toilets and while doing laundries. i know the language enough to understand that they were openly 'kutuk' us non-ibans.

why iban is not official language in sarawak? well it is not a coutnry for a starter. and even if malay is the official language of it, people there mostly speaks sarawakian. and chinese speak chinese (foochow, mandarin, whatsoever). so feel free to speak in ibanese as you wish, and when you grow up you can forward proposal for the government to change the official language of sarawak.

edit: now may i see thumbs-down?

Answer 6

The goverment will never allows other official language in Malaysia and that the FACT! Why, ask goverment your self. I dont want to end up in ISA.

Answer 7

because you need to find one language that can be understood by all malaysians. How are u people going to communicate if all of u speaks different languages? People in peninsular malaysia have their own languages too. The javanese, those people of perak, negeri sembilan and kelantan also have their own lingo and languages but they understand the need of using one language understood by all is fundamental. Who wants to listen to an MP who speaks his own language that only he and his village folks understood?

Answer 8

Does that mean Hokkien should be the official language of Penang???

Answer 9

sad isn't it...maybe cause most Iban's are Christians...need i say more....