Singapore is planning ways to increase the number of its non-Malay citizens who can speak Bahasa as a way of building links with Indonesia and Malaysia, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in comments reported today.

Lee, the father of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the nation's first leader, said the education ministry was considering introducing Bahasa as a third language at schools, following English and the student's mother tongue.

The goal was to get 10-15 percent of Singapore's non-Malay population speaking either Malaysian or Indonesian Bahasa, the Today newspaper quoted Lee as telling a Chinese New Year dinner late Thursday.

Just over three-quarters of Singapore's population are ethnic Chinese, about 14 percent are Malay and another eight percent Indian.

Lee said communication problems during Singapore's military deployment to help Indonesia's Aceh province following the Dec 26 tsunami disaster had triggered the momentum to have students learn Bahasa.

The Aceh lesson

"We learnt from our experience in Aceh that we need more Singaporeans who can speak Bahasa, either Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia," the Today paper quoted Lee as saying.

"When Indonesian military commanders briefed our mission in Banda Aceh, only PM Lee, Defence Minister Teo (Chee Hean) and a few SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) officers understood them."

Aside from English and the mother tongue, only the top students are currently allowed to learn a third language at school.