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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright December 2022
Why was a congratulatory message from Thailand's Prime Minister H.E. Prayut Chan-o-cha to Anwar Ibrahim on his appointment as PM10, written in English not in Thai or Bahasa Malaysia?
It's common knowledge that the language of diplomacy that was once French is now English.
Had Anwar been appointed the head of government before World War II, congratulatory messages addressed to him that poured into Putrajaya last week when he was sworn in would have probably been in French.
"English has replaced French as the lingua franca of diplomacy since World War II. The rise of English in diplomacy began in 1919, in the aftermath of World War I, when the Treaty of Versailles was written in English as well as in French, the dominant language used in diplomacy at that time." (English Fullerton)
Power dictates the choice of language to be used in diplomatic parlance. The use of French in diplomacy diminished when its power declined after World War II.
Power, says a former Malaysian ambassador Datuk Dr Fauziah Mohd Taib "imposes the very choice of language which is used in a diplomatic negotiation and in an agreement. From the 17th to 19th centuries, French was the language of diplomacy. It was also the period of French ascendancy. If China ruled the world today, the language of diplomacy would be Chinese." (NST)
At the rate China is developing in economic influence throughout the world it would not be long before everyone would be obligated to learn Mandarin for trade and the language of diplomacy too I believe would follow suit.
However, Thailand is not like China and neither is Malaysia. Chances of our two languages being dominant in commerce among nations is remote in our lifetime and beyond.
The language of diplomacy used by both countries is still English. Therefore to impose our own languages upon each other is not at all diplomatic. Thailand opted for the international language of diplomacy to congratulate our 10th Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
That is the short answer as to why the Kingdom of Thailand wrote its congratulatory message in English and not in Thai or Bahasa Malaysia, to Anwar Ibrahim when he became the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia
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