Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob recently reiterated his call for the national language to be strengthened via amendments to several laws and for all Malaysians to champion Bahasa Melayu.
Taking to his official Facebook page, Ismail revealed that during the officiating of the 3rd iteration of the ‘Simposium Antrabangsa Aspirasi Bahasa Melayu’ in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (23 September), he again called for the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 to urgently be amended to give more authority to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).
The Bera MP urges for DBP to be given more power
For context, DBP is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of Bahasa Melayu in our country and currently, they have no power to impose fines on property developers using non-Bahasa Melayu names for their development projects.
During his speech at the Bahasa Melayu symposium event, the former Prime Minister was quoted by Malay Mail as saying that developers in Malaysia are increasingly using French, Spanish and English names for their developments instead of Malaysian-related ones.
Ismail Sabri wants the private sector to use Bahasa Melayu
Besides that, Ismail also urged for the Government to require the private sector to use Bahasa Melayu for all official purposes so that the national language could be elevated both locally and abroad.
The former Prime Minister sterssed,
“I call upon all layers of society and national leadership regardless of racial and religious background to continue championing Bahasa Melayu.”
So, what do you guys think of Ismail’s statement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
