That seems to be the motto of the Indonesian government, which is considering making foreign residents take Indonesian language exams, according to this Sydney Morning Herald story by Matthew Moore:
About 30,000 expatriates who live in Indonesia could soon find themselves swotting for language exams if the Ministry of National Education gets its way and begins testing all present and future foreign workers and students.
In a country where many foreigners get by with big smiles, phrase-book greetings and the locals’ knowledge of English, the plan to award each of them a standardised Indonesian-language score out of 900 might seem ambitious.
But the ministry’s language centre is geared up for the task. It wants to strengthen Indonesian as an international tongue and make it easier for foreigners to communicate with locals….
Although the Government has yet to sign off on the plan, the fees for each test, which range between $30 and $40, have been set and the bank account where the money should be sent is already open.
But don’t worry!
The head of the language centre, Dendy Sugono, said if foreigners fail the test they will not be kicked out of the country: they will just have to go away and study.
His centre will offer them courses, for a fee, and there will be no restrictions on the number of times a student can attempt a test. Ten times would be no problem, although at 135 minutes a test that could prove wearing.
So this is not about forcing people to learn Indonesian, it’s yet another disguised tax. I doubt it’ll go through (I imagine the people who control vital foreign investment will make their feelings clear), but I give it points for ingenuity. All together now: Maaf, saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia (Sorry, I don’t speak Indonesian)!
(Via Taccuino di traduzione.)
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