HOUSING and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has been told that her proposal for stricter guidelines on the use of Bahasa Malaysia on road signs should not apply to Sarawak.

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii, of DAP, said Zuraida should be mindful of two things: that Putrajaya has no jurisdiction over Sarawak’s government, and that English is also an official language in the state.

“While I respect the intention behind the guidelines…. they cannot be enforced and may not be applicable in Sarawak,” said the first-term lawmaker, referring to the autonomy and rights granted to the state under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, and state legislation like the Local Government Regulation 1963 and Local Authority Ordinance.

Yii said the presence of signboards in multiple languages has never been an issue in Sarawak.

“Rather, (the signboards) are celebrated based on our respect for diversity and the importance of the different languages.

“While we also support the promotion of our national language (Bahasa Malaysia), there are a lot of other ways to promote it… changing road signs may incur unnecessary additional costs.

“English is still treated as the second official language in Sarawak, and is used as the official language in the courts of Sarawak and proceedings in the state assembly.

“I encourage the federal government to understand the autonomous powers we have as a territory, and thus, have more consultation before any federal policies can take hold in Sarawak,” said Yii, adding: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The debate over road signs in dual languages – Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese – in Shah Alam had sparked a row that even caught the attention of Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Last week, the ruler decreed that all road signs bearing Chinese characters in Shah Alam be replaced with those in Bahasa Malaysia only before his 73rd birthday celebrations next month. – November 27, 2018.