Just recently, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed that government offices and departments not entertain letters which weren’t written in Bahasa Melayu, the national language of Malaysia.
According to him, this move is meant to empower the national language’s culture as it is a vital part of nation building.
Anwar also added that insisting on writing letters to government departments wasn’t meant to belittle other languages, but rather its aim is to not let Malaysians “forget their roots” and fortify the Malay language as part of nation building.
However, it seems that one of the Malaysian states has a different take on Anwar’s proposal and has publicly rejected the move.
Sarawak won’t be following call to write letters only in Malay
When contacted by The Borneo Post about whether Sarawak would be following suit on Anwar’s “reminder”, State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki said that it “does not apply in Sarawak”.
He added that those working in Sarawak’s civil service can continue to use English in official communications.
Under Sarawak’s 18-Point Agreement, it states that English is the official language of the state. As for the 20-Point Agreement between Malaya and North Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak), it states that English is the official language for all purposes, be it state or federal.
Read more about Anwar’s proposal here:
