THE Sarawak civil service can use English in official communications, State Secretary Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki said.

He said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reminder that government departments should not entertain any letter written in a language other than Bahasa Melayu does not apply to the state.

“That does not apply in Sarawak,” he told the Borneo Post.

Yesterday, Anwar reminded all government departments not to entertain any letter not written in the national language.

Anwar said he noted that there was a tendency by some parties to deny the fundamentals of the Federal Constitution, which required them to communicate with government departments in the national language.

“So I would like to give a reminder (to all government departments), that if they receive letters from local companies or public and private universities in a language other than the national language, just return it to the sender,” he said.

“The empowerment of culture, language and literature is an integral part of nation-building, so let us not underestimate it.”

Article 152 of the Federal Constitution states that Bahasa Melayu is the national language.

Anwar said such an action will not make Malaysia narrow-minded because the government does not undermine the importance of English proficiency.

“This does not make us narrow-minded because I often remind my friends that I would not have been invited to teach at Georgetown University in Washington DC if I had not mastered the English language. I never underestimate it (the importance of English proficiency),” he said. – October 26, 2023.