SHOULD ENGLISH REMAIN THE PRIMARY MEDIUM FOR REGIONAL

COOPERATION IN SOUTH EAST ASIA

• Research Gate (reference)

The ASEAN region is home to great ethnic, cultural, political and economic diversity and
linguistically, represents a region where both Outer and Expanding Circle varieties of English are
spoken. English is designated as the sole working language of the ASEAN region but in reality,
it has a different status and performs every different roles in each ASEAN member state.

Honorable adjudicators, esteemed members of the board, and respected co debaters, I stand
before you today as the Deputy Prime Minister in favor of the motion: “English should remain
the primary medium for regional cooperation in Southeast Asia.” I’ll be starting my speech in 3 2
1

• The Diplomat (reference)

First Argument: As part of the ASEAN, there is a need for regional cooperation, of course, the
core essence of that is to enable us and most especially those who are in the position to share
information, connect, discuss challenges and common goals to promote regional and
interregional exchange of amendments that they can consider to take, as well as to highlight on
how to undertake joint projects and research activities in order to uphold not only the mere
relationship of the participating regions, but most of all the essential goal of living, to accelerate
economic growth, social progress and cultural development, and to promote regional peace and
stability.

Second Argument: The main issue here is to why is English used as the primary medium to the
regional cooperation?
Obviously, in a simpler interpretation, this is because it is the universal language. English has
become a global language with over 380 million people speaking it as their first language and
over 200 million people taking it as their second language. This is based on the (American
Research Journal of English and Literature) data.
- Based on Chapter 10, Article 34 of The ASEAN CHARTER of 2007, The ASEAN Charter
explicitly states that English is the official working language of the organization. It is not
just a medium—it is the foundation of all our regional agreements, declarations, and
policies. To remove English now would disrupt these established systems, create confusion,
and weaken our regional cohesion. (Chapter 10, Article 34)

- In organizations like the EU and the UN, official languages are used in documents made
available, while working languages are used in internal communications. For ASEAN
however, English is defined as a ‘working language’ in the ASEAN Charter but is also
generally acknowledged as a de facto official language to the point where both terms are
sometimes interchangeable in public discourse.

Third Argument: Multilingualism: A Case of ASEAN

ASEAN’s official language was never based on any preconceived values akin to the EU’s
multilingualism. English emerged as the language that the diplomats and public officials used to
communicate with each other and conduct their affairs. When researcher Akiko Okudaira
interviewed key ASEAN figures about English being the common language, they responded that
it “came out automatically” and that they “took it for granted” (Okudaira, 1999). Even before its
official status in the ASEAN Charter in 2007, there seemed to be an unstated unanimity
regarding the status of English as the lingua franca of ASEAN.

Fourth Argument: It should remain as the medium for regional cooperation because English
has become the world’s lingua franca that enables people to understand one another regardless of
their cultural and ethnical backgrounds. It makes communication a lot easier and understanding
one another has become efficient. Especially that English is widely used in this era all around the
world especially in computers and all other technological equipment. For this reason, the English
language is dominant in the world. And it’s too impossible to lose its importance in the future.

CONCLUSION:
• English should remain the primary medium for regional cooperation because its major
goal is to uphold a unified identity. Where every individuals within the organization will
have the capacity to be heard and understood. English as the primary medium for
regional cooperation does not only mean to be discriminatory, it a sole initiative made in
order for us to connect not only inside the organization but most of all outside the
organization premise where we can create a relevant connection and correlation for our
own benefit, especially that ASEAN is committed to state that the aims and purposes of
the Association are: (1) to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the region and (2) to promote regional peace and stability through
abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the
region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

• The incorporation of English has a significant benefit towards everyone in the sense that
it’s too impossible to lose its importance in the future. With the new era we are living
now, it is evident that the utilization of English has become essentially beneficial that it is
no doubt that English should remain the primary medium for regional cooperation in
Southeast Asia. Thank you.

1. Recent years have seen a revitalized interest in the role and status of language in our
increasingly interconnected region. Language is a force that binds people together and enables
cooperation from interpersonal to international levels.

2. Southeast Asia is a region of marvelous linguistic diversity, with over a thousand

languages spoken by millions of people all across this large, geographically and culturally
diverse area. It is a melting pot of many different language groups, making Southeast Asian
languages a rich field of study.

3. Language was a crucial component to the work of nation-building — for most Southeast Asian
countries, colonization entailed bringing together many disparate ethnic groups that spoke
different languages, with the language of the colonizer serving as a lingua franca (a language
systematically used to make communication possible between groups of people who do not
share a native language or dialect).
Example (Scenario)

Things of everyday life will become much easier of the world considered using a global
language. The communication between doctors and engineers as an example will become easier
if they used a global language. An ill individual who goes to another country for treatment will
communicate with doctors easily using a global language.

Why not use other language or utilize all the languages of ASEAN rather than just English?
- The ASEAN Charter explicitly states that English is the official working language of the
organization. It is not just a medium—it is the foundation of all our regional agreements,
declarations, and policies. To remove English now would disrupt these established
systems, create confusion, and weaken our regional cohesion. (Chapter 10, Article 34)

- Also, to be more holistic, this is due to the reason that if we utilize all the languages
within ASEAN it would be a complex process to come up with a unified and a more
comprehensive approaches to take, because as it is given that we have different native
languages that binds with our distinct culture. However, as stated earlier, English as
Lingua franca is important to human culture because it allows groups such as ASEAN
that otherwise could not communicate with each other, to have the ability to interact,
often for mutual benefit. This benefit can be economic, cultural, political, or a
combination.

So why should English remain as the primary medium for regional cooperation wherein we have
a lot of languages to consider?

- It should remain as the medium for regional cooperation because English has become the
world's lingua franca that enables people to understand one another regardless of their
cultural and ethnical backgrounds. It makes communication a lot easier and
understanding one another has become efficient. Especially that English is widely used in
this era all around the world especially in computers and all other technological
equipment. For this reason, the English language is dominant in the world. And it too
impossible to lose its importance in the future.

Does this affect the culture?

- It does not completely affect every region’s culture. The incorporation of English in
ASEAN is only to form a unified identity. As the ASEAN motto asserts “One Vision,
One Identity, One Community” it does not merely take no notice or devalue ones culture,
hence, it upholds a clear goal – and it is to be unified.

How does this affect inclusivity?

- The definition of inclusivity does not only revolve on incorporating all the languages
within ASEAN. Inclusivity may also means to accepting the fact that we are diversed,
that there is a need of initiative to uphold unified identity in order to manifest a
comprehensible vision and mission. Inclusivity is being highly regarded in ASEAN
especially that the main goal of the organization is the stability of all aspects inside
 ASEAN, so why does the English as a primary medium an issue? Wherein fact it is solely
upholded for our own benefit.

Language Acquisition - The natural process by which people and especially children become
able to understand and speak a language, without having lessons or learning rules

English itself has faced a few challenges, but they have often been exceptions that prove the rule.
The first known instance of this was during the expansion of ASEAN in the 1990s. The first
attempt to introduce another language occurred during the accession of Vietnam as an ASEAN
member in 1995. English itself has faced a few challenges, but they have often been exceptions
that prove the rule. The first known instance of this was during the expansion of ASEAN in the
1990s. The first attempt to introduce another language occurred during the accession of Vietnam
as an ASEAN member in 1995, when French was suggested as a working language (Kirkpatrick,
2008). Malay was also first suggested by the Malaysian Minister of Information in 1997, then
again in 2017 by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (Tan, 2017). Ultimately, these proposals
and the issue of language were neither discussed nor seriously considered. Professor Andy
Kirkpatrick once asked the director of The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization
(SEAMEO) in 2007 why Malay was not considered, in which he replied that it would open a
“Pandora’s Box” (Kirkpatrick, 2010).
What this “Pandora’s Box” likely refers to is the threat of division within ASEAN itself. This
ties into the way ASEAN was structured and kept together, not by conformity to an agreed set of
values, but through compromise and mutual respect.