The recent lawsuit by an Indian Muslim group against Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) over the inclusion of the word ' keling ' in the Kamus Dewan (dictionary) is problematic and complicated.

First of all, a dictionary is simply a "book listing and explaining words of a language" (Maurice Waite, editor, 1998, The Little Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press). As such, it is an important archive of the current state of language and how it has developed over time and various contexts.

Language, we must understand, can help us articulate and share thoughts, opinions and emotions with each other. Language can also be used to insult or persecute certain individuals and groups of people.

Herein lies the great problem (or strength, depending on how one looks at it) with language it can be both fluid and limited, both ambiguous and precise, depending on who uses it, in what situation it is used, and what uses it is put to.

Thus, to ban words from being included in a dictionary is an act of censorship that can only stifle the development of public discussion. It shuts down several opportunities that people can have to engage with each other using language.

A dictionary is a valuable tool that archives the development and flow of language. By default, it is already responsible for identifying to us words that are derogatory, or words that are slang, or words that are formal, or words that are archaic. It is responsible for giving us a clear picture of the context in which words can or cannot be applied.

As such, I have no problems if DBP has taken the responsibility of qualifying that the word ' keling ', and all its derivatives, is derogatory and racist. I trust that DBP has executed, and will continue to execute, this crucial responsibility to the public.

Thus, if a ban on the word 'keling ' is executed, it might set a problematic and unnecessary precedent in the already much-maligned practice of censorship in this country. What if certain groups object to a word like ' sundal ' being included in the dictionary? What if a particular group calls for the ban of a word like ' pondan ', for example?

If a precedent has been set, we may find ourselves in a situation where the size of the Kamus Dewan has been shrunk by half. And that would definitely be fulfilling a chillingly Orwellian prophecy of modern society.

However, this is where the debate gets problematic. As I understand it, the group that is suing the DBP claims that the DBP has banned certain words from Kamus Dewan that it has deemed "offensive" before.

What words are these, DBP? Why were they banned? Why has this precedent been set? If this is true, then we must understand that the group calling for a ban on the word ' keling ' now has entirely legitimate demands of DBP. It is, in fact, a minority that is asserting its right to be protected as a minority from attacks on its identity.

I personally abhor the use of the word ' keling ' in any setting. But I don't deny that I sometimes tell my friends to meet me at the ' kedai makan mamak ' around the corner for a teh tarik.

What I want to point out here is that in a multi-racial country like Malaysia, we are bound to resort to racial descriptions of certain people to get our points across. We are bound to be exposed to various colloquialisms that certain racial groups use to define others. We are bound to find certain forms of racial humour funny.

But the line between racial humour and racist incitement is very blur sometimes. We need to discuss and develop a framework that allows us to know when language stops being a means of engaging and turns into hate speech.

Hate speech is dangerous. It can be used to incite and justify persecution, discrimination and even violence, as the world has witnessed in places like Rwanda and Gujerat.

Thus, it is imperative for us as Malaysians to identify and outlaw all forms of hate speech. This, of course, includes racist incitement.

However, I don't think we are going to accomplish this by banning words from being included in dictionaries, or by banning anything for that matter. We are only going to do this if we engage with each other openly, honestly and sincerely, and start being sensitive, respectful and caring towards each other as equals.