OPINION

BAHASA INDONESIA
VS
ENGLISH
Which is more important?
By : Ratnasari Nugraheni

How many people think that English is more important than Bahasa Indonesia? There are more than a half of people say ‘yes’. Why? The answer is because English is an international language. A lot of people from different countries usually use English when they are talking. They use English as a mediator in a conversation. In Indonesia, English is one of the subjects in the school. National Examination also consists of English. So, do you think English is more important than Bahasa Indonesia in our country? I don’t think so. In my opinion, English is important for people in the world. However, since we are in Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesia is the most important language.
Now, I want to tell you why Bahasa Indonesia is more important than English. First, Bahasa Indonesia is the symbol which shows that Indonesia has a great civilization. It means that Indonesia is a great nation. Although Malay is the root language of Bahasa Indonesia, but it doesn’t mean that Bahasa Indonesia has the same pattern with it. Do you know EYD’s book? EYD’s book (buku ‘Ejaan yang Disempurnakan’) shows that Bahasa Indonesia has a different structure with the other languages. It means that Bahasa Indonesia is a specific language. How about English? Most people in the world know it. So, if there are a lot of people want to study English. It is an ordinary thing but if there are a lot of people from different countries want to study Bahasa Indonesia, it is a pride. However, it means that they are very interested about our culture. What a great nation we are!
Second, Indonesia is a language which can unite our nation. In other words, Bahasa Indonesia is a national language for our country and it has a function as a lingua franca. What is lingua franca? Lingua franca is a language which is used for communication between groups of people who speak different languages but it is not used between members of the same group. Indonesia has many tribes. Each tribe has a culture that is different from the others and also has a different local dialect. So, we need Bahasa Indonesia as the unifying factor. If we use English, I think there are a lot of people who don’t understand when we are talking. Although English is the main subject in our country, but it doesn’t mean that all people understand when we are using it. So, I think it’s better for us to use Bahasa Indonesia when we are talking with the people who are from the other province, so it can avoid a misunderstanding in a conversation.
Third, Bahasa Indonesia is a mother tongue. Have you ever thought what will happen if all people in Indonesia use English as a mother tongue? Maybe it’s good to expand our knowledge because there is some information which comes from foreign country but what will happen about our language, Bahasa Indonesia? If we use English more than Bahasa Indonesia, it will make our young generation will forget Bahasa Indonesia. We have to remember that Bahasa Indonesia is our language. As an origin language, it is an obligation task for young generation to perpetuate it in our nation. Now, Bahasa Indonesia hasn’t become important in our young generation. You can see many teenagers in Indonesia who have parents who are from different country. They can speak English fluently but they can’t speak fluently for Bahasa Indonesia, whereas they are Indonesian citizenship. So, I think we must acquire our mother tongue better, while English as a second language is also need to be mastered.
In conclusion, Bahasa Indonesia is more important than English in Indonesia because Bahasa Indonesia is the symbol of our nation, a national language, and a mother tongue. So, there isn’t a reason to say that Bahasa Indonesia isn’t important. Although English is an international language but Bahasa Indonesia is a national language in our country and it’s more important using Bahasa Indonesia in our country than English.