Dual language signboards in Shah Alam removed
A Shah Alam City Council spokesperson says the council took down the road signs following a decree by the Sultan of Selangor.
PETALING JAYA: The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has removed the dual-language signboards in the city following a decree by the Sultan of Selangor.
“We have taken them down,” an MBSA spokesperson told FMT when contacted.
Yesterday, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ordered road signs in Shah Alam which featured both Malay and Chinese languages to be removed and replaced with those that only feature the national language.
In a letter issued to the Selangor government by the Selangor Ruler’s private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani, the palace said the removal of the road signs must be completed before the Sultan’s 73rd birthday on Dec 1.
The letter was issued after pictures showing the dual language road signs were shared on Twitter.
On Nov 15, a Twitter account user, Don Juan deRyezal (@khairulryezal) questioned why the road signs used the Chinese language.
Earlier today, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said the decision to use road signs written in Chinese had been made by the Selangor state government.
Khalid, who is Shah Alam MP, said the federal government had not been aware of the decision as local authorities had jurisdiction over state matters.
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He also said the federal government had no power to prevent other states from following the footsteps of the Selangor government.