The Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa (Badan Bahasa), under the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikdasmen), has initiated a significant supervision effort regarding the naming of landscapes and official documents in Indonesia. This move is guided by the new regulation, Peraturan Mendikdasmen RI Nomor 2 Tahun 2025, which was signed by Minister Abdul Mu'ti on February 24, 2025.
According to the regulation, the objects of supervision include geographical names, buildings, apartments, housing complexes, offices, and trade complexes that are owned by Indonesian citizens or legal entities. The aim is to ensure that these names adhere to the standards of the Indonesian language.
Hafidz Muksin, the head of Badan Bahasa, elaborated on this initiative during a press conference on April 24, 2025. He stated, "If foreign language names have already become popular, we will encourage them to display two versions on the sign: the foreign language version and the Indonesian version." This approach seeks to respect existing naming conventions while promoting the use of the Indonesian language.
The regulation also outlines the types of official documents that will be monitored. These include legislation, state documents, official speeches by the President, Vice President, and other state officials, as well as public administration services and scientific publications. Muksin emphasized that the supervision will focus on socialization, monitoring, assistance, and evaluation rather than imposing penalties for non-compliance.
"We will assist, socialize, supervise, advise, and evaluate, but there will be no sanctions for names that do not comply with the Indonesian language standards," Muksin explained. He noted that local governments will be responsible for reporting and overseeing compliance at the local level.
In conjunction with these efforts, the Badan Bahasa has launched a program called Trigatra Bangun Bahasa, which emphasizes three key points: prioritizing Indonesian as the primary language in the nation, preserving regional languages as a support for Indonesian, and encouraging the mastery of foreign languages to enhance global communication skills.
On the international front, the Indonesian Embassy in Paris has been proactive in promoting the Indonesian language through its Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) classes. The BIPA classes for Semester I/2025 were reopened on April 22, 2025, by Duta Besar (Ambassador) Mohamad Oemar. He highlighted that these classes represent a concrete effort to promote and internationalize Bahasa Indonesia.
Oemar expressed hope that the BIPA classes would strengthen people-to-people relationships between Indonesia and France. Iwa Lukmana, the Head of the Language and Literature Empowerment Center at Badan Bahasa, also praised the KBRI Paris for its consistent efforts in promoting the Indonesian language on an international scale.
To facilitate this initiative, Universitas Telkom has committed to providing 30 tutors and three Indonesian language teachers for the BIPA program in Paris. The Atase Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan KBRI Paris, Luh Anik Mayani, noted that the BIPA classes are available across 81 cities in Paris, attracting students from various backgrounds, not just from France.
In a lighter cultural moment, the popular South Korean band DAY6 showcased their growing proficiency in the Indonesian language. Members Sungjin, Young K, Dowoon, and Wonpil greeted their fans, known as My Day Indonesia, in a video shared by their promoter, Mecimapro. In the 33-second clip, Dowoon opened with, "My Day Indonesia apa kabar?" (How are you, My Day Indonesia?), expressing their excitement about returning to Indonesia for their upcoming concert.
DAY6 is set to perform as part of their "DAY6 3rd World Tour [Forever Young] In Jakarta" concert on May 3, 2025, at Stadion Madya. The band's efforts to connect with their Indonesian fans through language reflect the broader initiative of promoting the Indonesian language and culture internationally.
As Indonesia continues to navigate the balance between globalization and cultural preservation, these initiatives by Badan Bahasa and the Indonesian Embassy in Paris highlight the country's commitment to promoting its language both domestically and abroad. The upcoming launch of the new regulation and the ongoing BIPA classes are steps toward ensuring that Bahasa Indonesia remains relevant and widely used in various contexts.
