A sharing on Facebook has sparked a debate on social media recently after a Malaysian called out the Hulu Langat District Public Library in Bangi, Selangor for using English on its neon signboard instead of the official national language of Bahasa Melayu.
Sharing a photo of the public library at night which highlighted the neon lights of the “LIBRARY” signage at the top of the building, the man questioned why the signboard is in English instead of in Bahasa Melayu.
He asserted,
“Did you know that almost 90% of Bandar Baru Bangi residents are Malay Muslim Bumiputeras? But why is the public library signage in English?
“Are Bangi residents not fluent in Bahasa Melayu? Let’s tag all influencers so that this issue can be taken seriously. This is damaging our national identity.”
The public library recently reopened
For context, the public library recently reopened on 12 January after closing for upgrading works, with the neon “LIBRARY” sign believed to have been added as part of the renovation.
Currently, the Hulu Langat District Public Library, which is under the purview of the Selangor Public Library Corporation, is open to the public every day except on public holidays.
Since the Facebook post questioning the use of English on the signboard went viral, many Malaysians have called out the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) for approving the signage. However, as of the time of writing, MPKj has yet to release a statement on the matter.
The public library’s main signage is actually in Bahasa Melayu
In the flurry of comments in the post, many Malaysians also pointed out that the main signage for the public library is actually in Bahasa Melayu.
One commenter even used the same photo shared in the post to highlight the signage at the entrance being written in Bahasa Melayu, asserting,
“There’s already a Bahasa Melayu signage beside it. There’s nothing wrong with having dual-language signboards.”
Similarly, a screenshot of the post was also shared on X by user @LagaCawan who in the replies pointed out to a commenter that the main signage at the entrance is written in Bahasa Melayu.
Other Malaysian public libraries also use English signboards
Speaking of the post by @LagaCawan, the X user also shared how other public libraries in Malaysia use both Bahasa Melayu and English in their signboards.
These include the Terengganu State Public Library which has both English and Bahasa Melayu as its main signages at different sections of the building.
Moreover, @LagaCawan responded to a commenter who shared a photo of the Terengganu State Public Library signage in Bahasa Melayu as if trying to correct the X post for allegedly trying to make it seem that the building only have an English signage.
@LagaCawan then shared a photo of the public library in Bangi having a Bahasa Melayu signage too, to showcase that dual-language signages are common.
The X account then called out certain quarters for being selective in their ire, whereby only the public library in Bangi was called out and not other libraries which did the same practice.
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) director-general chimes in on the issue
Besides that, the usage of English on the Hulu Langat District Public Library signage has caught the attention of DBP director-general Dr Hazami Jahari. As reported by Majoriti, Dr Hazami expressed his disappointment with the usage of English on public signboards.
He asserted,
“Something truly disappointing. We’re tired of always giving the same advice.”
DBP director-general Dr Hazami Jahari
He further revealed that he has since visited the public library in Bangi to monitor the situation.
So, what are your thoughts on the matter? Do share them with us in the comments!
