Speech (Part 2) by Parliamentary Opposition leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the opening of the Paya Terubong DAP Branch Annual General Meeting in Paya Terubong on Wednesday, 18th March, 1992 at 8 pm.
DAP proposes that the MPPP full Council on March 28 decide to add Chinese characters to road signs in the Penang Municipality
The Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Megat Junid Megat Ayob, said on Sunday that local governments should allow the use of Chinese language on advertisements and signboards and should not abuse their powers to obstruct or destroy any one’s rights to use other languages apart from the National Language on advertisements and signboards.
This follows the ‘blacking out’ of the Chinese characters of several housing estate ‘sign boards’ in Teluk Intan recently.
DAP welcomes the statement by Datuk Megat Junid Megat Ayob which is most timely, as there is widespread misconception as to the right to the use of the other languages apart from the National Language in the country.
DAP calls on the MPPP full Council on March 24 to take an important policy decision to add Chinese characters to road signs in the Penang Island Municipality – for this will not only highlight the multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural character of the island but also a great convenience to the older generation of people, as well as to tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong and even from China.
The use of Chinese language on the Muncipal road signs will not be a challenge to the position of the National Language, which is fully accepted and clearly entrenched by Malaysians of all races 35 years after Merdeka.
The question today is whether the various authorities are prepared to take a more liberal attitude on such things.
I hope the Penang Gerakan and Penang MCA will support this proposal, and that the MPPP President, Tan Ghim Hwa, will take the iniative to announce this policy proposal at the next MPPP full coun¬cil meeting on March 26. If Tan Ghim Hwa is not prepared to do so, I hope there will be a Gerakan or MCA MPPP Councillor who will be coura¬geous enough to move such a motion to get the support of the other MPPP Councillors to have Chinese language on the road signs in the Penang Island Municipality.