DBP: Likelihood of Malay as official Asean language increased with Indonesia's support

Ismail Mustam’s iconic mural on the facade of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka building.

KUALA LUMPUR: The agreement reached by Malaysia and Indonesia to continue to work together to uplift the status of the Malay language will increase the chances of making it the official Asean international language, says Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).

Its chairman Prof Datuk Seri Dr Awang Sariyan said there were about 300 million Malay speakers regioanlly in Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Timor Leste.