SARAWAK Premier Abang Johari Openg today staunchly defended the state’s continued use of English as a language of communication in official businesses in the state alongside Bahasa Malaysia, amid criticisms from Malay language rights groups.

He said while Sarawak accepts Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, the state at the same time continues to maintain English as the second official language and the language of communication for two reasons – the need to be practical and the state’s constitutional right in the Federal Constitution.

Abang Johari was alluding to article 161 of the Federal Constitution.

Flashing a copy of the Constitution, he particularly pointed to article 161(3), which he said guarantees Sarawak’s right to continue using English.

Article 161(3) states: “... no such act shall come into operation as regards the use of the English language in the state of Sabah or Sarawak in any other case mentioned in paragraph (b) or (c) of clause (2), until the act or the relevant provision of it has been approved by an enactment of the legislature of that state”.

That, he said, “simply means we can still use English”.

He also said the state is just being practical in continuing to use English as it has embarked on transforming its present economy to a digital economy.

“Many (technical) terms in the digital economy are in English, which are difficult to translate. To be practical does not mean we are against national policy.”

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has embarked on a campaign to make Bahasa Malaysia the “lingua franca” among Asean.

He has even proposed amending the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 to empower Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to carry out enforcement against offences involving the use of the language.

Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali has called for the Public Service Department to consider punitive measures to enforce the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the civil service, including using it in conferences overseas.

Sarawak has brushed that off Zuki’s proposal and assured civil servants in the state that they are free to use English without fear of being penalised. – June 18, 2022.