A RECENT Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) operation to remove Chinese signboards along Jalan Imbi in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, has sparked heated debates online about the regulation and claims of double standards in enforcement.
During the operation on Saturday (Oct 14), DBKL issued a 14-day notice to five premises to take down their signboards for not displaying the message in Bahasa Malaysia.
“Even though the rule has been in place for a long time, there are still some premises who pretend to forget them.
“Through a viral video on social media, DBKL took action to refresh their memory about this rule,” the City Hall said in its Facebook post, adding that the signboards were a breach of the Small Signboards (FT) 1982 Bylaws.
The local authority also said it would continue to monitor other premises and ensure they comply with the bylaw.
Netizens, however, appeared to be divided in their sentiments, with some expressing support and others voicing disapproval of the operation.
On X, user @prismRON97 questioned why action wasn't taken against retail outlets and premises owned by international companies for not using Bahasa Malaysia in their signboards.
Echoing a similar sentiment, user @bluebus72 asked DBKL if it would take similar action against eateries using other languages.
“Please take action against them too, don’t practice double standards.”
@LOLsusaho, meanwhile, took issue with the tone in the DBKL post, claiming it sounded like it was written by a cybertrooper.
However, Reddit user Accomplished-Cap8773 said this was a known rule and should not be an issue with @VincentT28 agreeing, saying the operation was not racially motivated.
DBKL has disabled the comments on the post on its Facebook page.
StarMetro has reached out to the City Hall for comments.
