PENA SUPPORTS DBKL'S DATA COLLECTION ON BUSINESS SIGNBOARD LICENSING VIOLATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- The National Writers Association of Malaysia (PENA) supports Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) initiative to collect data on licensing violations related to the use of the national language on business signboards in the city.

PENA president Dr Mohamad Saleeh Rahamad said DBKL’s approach of gathering data on such violations, which will be submitted to the management of the business premises concerned for further action, is indeed a wise move.

“DBKL has been so ‘nice’ (in its approach) and it follows proper procedures. It does not cause chaos by removing all the signboards without notice. There has been no heavy-handed enforcement by DBKL and everything has been conducted according to regulations,” he said in a statement today.

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Mohamad Saleeh said the local authority has the power to enforce the regulations mandating the use of the national language alongside other languages on business signboards in specific capacities.

“So, there is no element of discrimination in their enforcement. In fact, all business premises should have already been aware of the regulations in place,” he said.

Mohamad Saleeh added that Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has provided resources for businesses to refer to before putting up their signboards and that the process is quite straightforward and can be done online.

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Yesterday, a news portal reported that the Malaysian Chinese Restaurant Association claimed their businesses were facing escalating operational costs due to DBKL’s strict enforcement regarding signboards.

-- BERNAMA