Indonesian Language Also Determines the Formation of the Indonesian State

By A. Zamroni Sw.

Bekti Patria-wordpress.com

Historically and etymologically, Indonesian comes from the regional language, namely Riau Malay. This regional language has officially become the national language of Indonesia and the language of the unity of the Indonesian nation. Indonesian - which comes from the Malay language of Riau - was ratified as the state language the day after the proclamation of Indonesian independence, on August 18, 1945, to be precise. The ratification was carried out in a package with the ratification of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia as the state constitution. In Article 36 of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian language is stated directly and explicitly as the state language.

The naming of the Indonesian language (from the Riau Malay language) begins with the II Youth Congress which gave birth to the Youth Pledge on October 28, 1928. Indonesian has experienced several attempts at standardizing the spelling to make it a modern and sophisticated language. This standardization effort causes the Indonesian language we currently use to differ from its original language, namely the Malay language used in Riau and the Malay Peninsula. Indonesian has now become a dynamic language, a language that lives and continues to produce new words, both through the creation and absorption of regional and foreign languages.

Indonesian is the primary and most important language in Indonesia. As the language of the state and the language of unity, Indonesian is the means of communication for all Indonesian people - from Sabang to Merauke - who have a variety of ethnic, cultural, and regional backgrounds. Without the Indonesian language, the existence of tribes in remote areas of the country that have their own local culture and language will be difficult to meet, connect and mix.

Thanks to the role of the Indonesian language, communication and interaction between ethnic groups in Indonesia can run well. The Indonesian language enables people from various regions and tribes to greet one another, talk, cooperate, stay in touch, and build friendship, kinship and brotherhood. It is also thanks to the Indonesian language that people and figures from various islands and ethnicities can communicate with each other and understand their aspirations and interests, build unity against colonization by foreign nations, and exchange ideas to formulate the basis of the state and constitution so that the Indonesian nation and state can be formed.

It is inconceivable that the end of the struggle of the heroes and founders of the country if their efforts to be free from colonialism and to establish the Indonesian state were not supported by the existence of the Indonesian language. Without language that can be a means of communication and unification, efforts to free oneself from foreign colonialism will be very difficult to do. Without the support of a language that can carry out such a role, the effort to achieve independence and form an Indonesian state seems impossible.