Berita Harian celebrated the Malay Language Month with two key events showcasing the beauty, vibrancy and universality of the Malay language, culture and heritage. The forum, Wacana, and the literary appreciation night, Malam Sastera, were held on Oct 6 at the Singapore Press Holdings Auditorium.

Both events saw an encouraging turnout of about 290 attendees who were keen to connect on the Malay language and culture. Minister for Communication and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, was the Guest of Honour for the forum titled ‘Is the Malay language still relevant in this digital era?’, which had distinguished panelists such as Dr Mohd Aidil Subhan Mohd Sulor (Lecturer, NIE), Dr Shamsuri Juhari (Lecturer, UniSIM), Mohd Raman Daud (Senior Writer), Rilla Melati Bahri (Celebrity/Entreprenuer) and Hisham Hasim (Malay language month ambassador). The panelists shared their views on the role of the language on the young generation as well as the challenges faced by the community in using the Malay language in the digital landscape.

One of the attendees, Ms Juyda Noor Mohamed, a 33-year-old teacher, said: “Wacana is a good initiative by Berita Harian as it creates awareness to both the young generation and teachers as the Malay language is very important and still relevant in today’s time.”

Following that, Malam Sastera ensured that everyone had a fun and fulfilling evening. The literary appreciation night brought together some of Singapore’s popular artistes and personalities who showcased their talent on poetry exchanges, live radio as well as musical performances.

Three well-known television and radio personalities, M Saffri A Manaf, Norsiah Abdul Hamid and Mastura Ahmad provided the audience with a first-hand opportunity on how a radio drama is produced ‘live’. Singapore’s pantun masters GT Lye and Mohd Ashik also showcased their talents in the art of ‘buying’ and ‘selling’ of pantun. Art Fazil and Mohd Khair Mohd Yasin, returning as Rausyanfikir (Persian term for ‘Thinkers’), closed the event with a bang as they treated the audience to their popular hits.

Mr Amrin Amin, Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs, and Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC and chairman of the organising committee of Malay Language Month, graciously supported and attended the event.

For updates on upcoming events by Berita Harian, visit www.beritaharian.sg.

Advertisers keen to reach out to the Malay community may contact Michael Chng at mikechng@sph.com.sg or 9862-9865.