The authorities have resolved the viral issue of the sign written in Mandarin in Port Dickson, by agreeing to replace it with a bilingual signboard.
According to a report by Sinar Harian, Chuah State Assemblyman (ADUN) Yew Boon Lye shared that this decision was made after discussions with the Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) and the Land Office.
“Following the spread of allegations that the authorities were not monitoring or taking action against these signs, a site visit was conducted to find a solution. Finally, a solution was reached, which is that all (Mandarin) signs will be replaced with bilingual versions to replace the old signs that were installed without permission,” he said.
Special exemption to include Mandarin in their signage
He went on to explain that the Mandarin signs were installed since 2018 by volunteers and the village committee at the time, to make it easier for visitors from China to understand the history and location of the roads there.
“At that time, many tourists from China came here, so they used the Chinese-written signs as additional guidance. This initiative has been running for more than 7 years. With the permission of the Menteri Besar, only this village is allowed to use bilingual signs at the moment,” he added.
MPPD President, Hasnor Abd Hamid, emphasised that the bilingual signs are only for this particular village.
“Only Kampung Sungai Nipah is given an exemption because this initiative has been implemented for a long time. According to the MPPD Advertisement By-Laws 1996, road signs and advertisements must use the Malay language,”
“The new signs will use the Malay language at the top and with smaller Mandarin writing at the bottom. The old signs, which are entirely in Mandarin writing, will be removed,” he shared, adding that there are a total of 16 signs that need to be replaced.
Prior to this, a post on TikTok had gone viral as it showed road signs in the village that were entirely in Mandarin.
You can check out the post here.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
