PORT DICKSON: The Port Dickson Municipal Council will replace at least 16 road signs written in Chinese in Kampung Sungai Nipah here with bilingual signs.
Council president Hasnor Abd Hamid said the new signs are being ordered and will be installed as soon as possible, with the road names remaining unchanged.
"The Chinese-language signs in the village were installed in 2018. I was informed that they were put up without approval from the council or the district office. So, we will replace them with new signs, where the size of the Malay script will be larger than the second language.
"The council will ensure that the use of Bahasa Melayu is prioritised, including on signs and billboards, and any application must be submitted to the council," he told reporters after inspecting the signs in the village, accompanied by Chuah state assemblyman Yew Boon Lye on Monday (April 14).
Earlier, it was reported that Pertubuhan Pemerkasaan Identiti Malaysia (Identiti), which champions the use of the national language, expressed regret over the presence of Chinese-language road signs in the village and urged the local authorities to take action.
Meanwhile, Yew said the signs, installed about seven years ago, were likely intended to cater to the many tourists from China visiting the area, including those coming to the Nipah virus memorial museum, and were meant to help them understand the local area better.
On another matter, Hasnor said the council is taking action against the sale of goods at traffic light intersections to maintain the district's image as a tourist destination.
"We need to present a good image because Port Dickson will also be one of the locations for Asean meetings.
"We will not deny anyone their livelihood as long as they comply with the law, and this also ensures public safety. We don't want unregulated roadside sales like mango stalls and so on," he said. - Bernama
