Delegate: Jane Feldmesser
Country: Indonesia
Committee: Third Main Committee- Death of Indigenous Languages
As the importance of globalization in the countries’ economies has increased,
indigenous cultures have suffered and disseminated. The place of indigenous cultures and
their languages have diminished leading to the necessity to create preservation initiatives.
The death of indigenous languages throughout the world should weigh on all member
nations.
The necessity to preserve the indigenous languages and cultures of minority
groups have been recognized with the 1992 Declaration on the Rights of Persons
Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
Indonesia, a culturally diverse country, is home to over 700 spoken languages.
After being influenced by the colonization of the Dutch for hundreds of years,
Indonesia’s culture and language has changed and diminished. The culture and language
of the Dutch has changed the demographic and culture in Indonesia. As the importance of
a globalized economy has grown tremendously, Indonesia has continued its loss of
language and diverse culture with the growing influence of English on the 700 spoken
dialects.
The major ethnic groups in Indonesia include Javanese, Sundanese, Malay, and
Batak. Bahasa Indonesia, which is a modified form of Malay, is the official language of
Indonesia. Other prominent languages include English and Dutch while local dialects are
very common.
To Indonesia, the preservation of indigenous languages while being able to
compete in the global economy is a very imperative issue. Growing our international
economy is a priority but risking our diversity in language and culture is not an option. In
order to ensure our future economic success and culture, it is important that all member
nations and we, Indonesia, take certain initiatives to protect minorities.
Recognizing and guaranteeing the right to education in native tongue for
indigenous children should be a priority. One of the main ways, especially for Indonesia,
to maintain native languages is through education. Indonesia has a young population
where as 26.2% of the Indonesian population is fourteen years and younger. The median
age of the Indonesian population is 29.2 years. Through immersion programs that teach
both indigenous languages and globally prominent languages to children and adults
countries similar to Indonesia can effectively protect culture while expanding the global
economy. By using our younger population as an advantage to grow globally in the
future, educational programs should grow and evolve to reach the necessity of each
countries’ minorities.
To involve indigenous people into the global economy, our government and other
member nations should translate political texts and laws into indigenous languages to
educate more people on how to have political efficacy. Through political efficacy and
knowledge, more people will better participate in legal and political fields. Using
indigenous languages in public administration and in educational programs will increase
the importance of the use of the native dialects.
Culture and traditions remain through the protection of minorities; however, it is
of utmost importance to grow the economy to create a stable and successful country. It is
possible to participate in globalization while protecting indigenous dialects. Member
nations should focus on the opportunities that educational programs offer.