Strata Owners Association Malaysia (SOAM) is asking a local council to allow management bodies to submit their minutes of meetings in English.
SOAM honorary secretary Kelvin Chong said the notice by Kuala Langat Municipal Council (MPKL) mandating the use of Bahasa Malaysia (BM) had caused concern among its members.
He told StarMetro that making BM mandatory could cause problems for foreign residents and lead to higher costs.
“Additionally, translators may be required when preparing the minutes.
Chong: New ruling could cause problems for foreign residents.
“This will result in additional costs for management bodies.”
In an MPKL letter issued on Sept 13, which was sighted by StarMetro, the council had ordered strata management bodies within its jurisidiction to use BM for all official transactions with the Commissioner of Buildings (COB).
The letter also stated that BM must be used for additional by-laws, correspondence and when preparing minutes of meetings.
Chong added that SOAM had received reports from 25 management bodies on the matter.
In a statement to StarMetro, MPKL said it was upholding the government’s aspiration by mandating BM usage for all public administrative purposes, including transactions between the government and private sector.
It said the order was in line with Section PO.1.1.1 (Empowerment of the Use of the Malay Language in the Public Service) of the Human Resources Service Circular as well as the National Language Act 1963/67.
“The national language should be used for all official purposes except for those exempted by law.
“It is hoped that industry players will respect the use of Bahasa Malaysia.
“This is not only essential for effective communication but to maintain the identity of Malaysians,” added MPKL.
