Jakarta. The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry, through the Language Development and Fostering Agency, is calling on all stakeholders to actively help preserve Indonesia’s 718 regional languages to prevent their extinction.

The Head of the Language Agency, Hafidz Muksin, stressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration involving the central government, regional governments, community leaders, academics, and educational institutions as a key strategy in strengthening efforts to preserve Indonesia's regional languages and literature.

“We greatly appreciate this collaboration. It is vital for safeguarding our regional languages so that our ancestral heritage does not vanish,” he said during a public lecture titled "Linguistic Diversity and Language Preservation in Indonesia: Exploring Regional Variations and Language Protection," held on Sunday.

According to him, regional languages are not just tools for communication but also reflect the cultural richness and identity of the nation. He likened Indonesia’s linguistic diversity to a “city garden” filled with vibrant colors, where each color represents the unique character of communities across the archipelago.

Hafidz also highlighted the role of young people as key pillars in language preservation, encouraging their active participation through cultural activities, regional language competitions, and the creative use of digital media to promote local languages in contemporary formats.

“Young people are the main drivers of regional language preservation. We must instill a love for their mother tongue through daily use, creative spaces, cultural programs, and digital platforms,” he added.

Bahasa Indonesia: A Unifying Language

The strategic role of Bahasa Indonesia as the unifying language since the Youth Pledge of 1928 was also highlighted, alongside national movements such as Proud to Speak Indonesian, Proficient in Indonesian, and Advancing Together with Indonesian. However, the growing dominance of the national language presents challenges to the sustainability of regional languages, particularly in formal and educational settings where their use is increasingly marginalized.

One critical issue raised is the limited availability of regional language instruction in schools, which lags significantly behind foreign language education. Additionally, there is a shortage of qualified regional language teachers, especially in remote areas. Despite these challenges, innovation and preservation efforts continue, such as the development of digital platforms, culturally based educational games, and automated translation systems being built by youth communities in several regions.

Professor Marian Klamer, a linguist specializing in Papuan and Austronesian languages from Leiden University, spoke about the complexity and richness of Indonesia's linguistic ecology. This includes not only regional languages and Bahasa Indonesia but also local lingua francas and Malay variants that have evolved over centuries. She cited the example of Pantar Island, which, despite its small size, is home to 11 local languages, demonstrating the extraordinary linguistic diversity found even within limited geographic areas.

Meanwhile, Nazarudin, an academic and language preservation activist from the University of Indonesia, shared a case study on the Oirata language spoken on Kisar Island, Maluku. The language is facing a decline in speakers, but preservation continues through local initiatives and intensive documentation.

Years of research and study have inspired local community leaders to create dictionaries of regional languages in their areas, turning them into valuable documentation tools and learning resources for future generations.