Dual-language road signs decision not brought to state exco – MB
SHAH ALAM: The decision on installing dual-language road signs in Selangor was never brought to the state executive council, said Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.
He said the decision was made in 2017 by the State Local Government Committee and never brought to the state exco for discussion.
“Nevertheless, I need to check on this although if it had not been brought to the state exco, I would remember,” he said when met after officiating at the Selangor Counselling Centre’s Silver Jubilee celebration, here, yesterday.
Aminudin was asked to comment on the presence of dual-language (Malay and Chinese) road signs in the Shah Alam district which drew the attention of the Selangor Sultan, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who decreed that such road signs be removed and replaced with those using only the national language.
The order was relayed by the Sultan’s private secretary, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani in a letter dated Nov 19 addressed to State Secretary, Datuk Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya and Shah Alam Mayor, Datuk Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad.
According to the instruction, removal of the dual-language road signs must be done immediately and completed before the Selangor Sultan’s 73rd birthday celebration on Dec 11.
Asked if such road signs in other districts would also be removed, Amirudin said the state government was looking into the matter as a whole as the order to remove such road signs was not given through the state exco.
However, he said, the state government would uphold the Sultan’s decree on the matter and was committed to empowering the Malay language in Selangor.
Meanwhile, the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) started removing the dual-language road signs in its area of jurisdiction yesterday and the work is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Its Corporate and Public Relations Division head, Shahrin Ahmad in a statement said 45 road signs using both the Malay and Chinese language were removed on Monday, while the installation of road signs in the Malay language only would be done in stages soon and completed by the end of November.
Recently, pictures showing the dual-language road signs were shared on Twitter and an account user questioned why the road signs used the Chinese language in Malay-majority Shah Alam.