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report in the April 19 The Jakarta Post edition concerning the Indonesian language gaining favor among foreigners is very interesting. Our national language has the power to attract foreigners'€™ attention to study it.

This is the risk of globalization embodied in the phrase '€œthe power of language'€, which influences foreigners'€™ choices to learn a foreign language.

Foreigners study Indonesian because it'€™s one of the most important languages in Asia. It also represents the value systems and cultural attitudes of its users, ingrained in metaphors, idiomatic expressions and the vernacular and is commonly used across the archipelago.

All of these language features are worth considering if they are to be used. They cannot serve as a blanket to cover all drawbacks that we Indonesians are not really proud of using our national language in daily life.

Certain national TV channels carefully label their programs with English titles.

However, the chances of ignoring public acceptance are unavoidable since the language used to deliver program content is Indonesian.

This seems like a camouflage policy to underestimate the status of Indonesian. At this point, like educational institutions, the media should have a social responsibility to popularize the effective use of the national language properly. There is no reason, therefore, to view that our national language is inferior to other languages.

Instead, the persuasive appeal of using the language depends heavily on our true spirit to make it, as always, the language of unity, education and mass communication to strengthen our national identity.

Otherwise, it becomes powerless amid a national crisis of identity that deserves special treatment.

Anselmus Sudirman
Yogyakarta