KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has expressed disappointment with certain political figures for sensationalising the enforcement of language guidelines on business sign boards by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
In a press statement on Saturday, DBP stressed that all parties should uphold the rule of law, including the provisions under the Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171) related to language use.
It noted that the Act clearly outlines language requirements as part of its nine guiding scopes, emphasising that sentences and language must be well-structured and grammatically correct.
As such, DBP commended DBKL for its efforts in monitoring and enforcing the Act.
“The guidelines require Bahasa Malaysia to be prominently displayed on all signboards, either alone or alongside other languages, except for brand names such as TOSHIBA or SAMSUNG.
“Text in other languages must not exceed three-quarters of the height of the Bahasa Malaysia text, and all languages used must be accurate in terms of spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.
“Businesses are also required to obtain DBP’s approval before displaying their signboards,” the statement said.
DBP also noted its ongoing efforts to amend the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 (Act 213).
A Cabinet Memorandum on the proposed amendments was submitted to the Strategic Planning and International Relations Division of the Ministry of Education (MoE) on October 17.
The memorandum contains the chronology and status of the proposed amendments, focusing on aspects deemed important and relevant.
DBP added that the process includes obtaining feedback from the Attorney General’s Chambers, further discussions with the MoE’s Policy Planning and Research Division, and reactivating the Technical Committee for Act 213 Amendments.
