MIRI – Sarawak will stick to using English and Malay as its official languages and continue issuing state government letters in English when needed, said one leader today.
The state government and its people will not entertain a directive from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for all official letters to government department to be only in the Malay language.
Making this very clear today, Sarawak's Deputy Local Government, Public Health and Housing Minister Michael Tiang said Putrajaya cannot force the Sarawak authorities and Sarawakians in general to only use Malay for official correspondences to government agencies and ministries.
"Sarawak has the right under the federal constitution to use both English and Bahasa Malaysia (BM) as official languages.
"We have the right to write official letters to government departments and ministries in either English or BM.
"This right of Sarawak on the usage of English is guaranteed under Article 161(3) of the federal constitution," he stressed.
"Therefore, we will continue to communicate with the federal side using English, and Putrajaya must accept," he said in a statement today.
Tiang, who is state assemblyman for Pelawan, said the federal National Language Act 1963 and 1967 on compulsory use of Malay only is not applicable to Sarawak.
He said the directive recently by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for all official government-related letters to be only in Malay does not apply to Sarawak and Sarawakians.
English has always been used prominently in Sarawak.
The late previous chief minister, Tan Sri Adenan Satem, when he was helming the state government then, had once blasted the federal government for insisting on forcing all and sundry to only use Malay for official events and official communications.
Adenan had in his capacity then as chief minister said that he would defy federal directives to abandon English as official language.
Meanwhile, The Borneo Post reported Sarawak state secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki as confirming that the Sarawak civil service can use English in official communications.
When contacted, he said Sarawak will “not follow the reminder” made by Anwar.
“That does not apply in Sarawak,” Abu Bakar was quoted as saying. – The Vibes, October 26, 2023
