KUALA LUMPUR: Proposed amendments to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 will not give Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) powers to enforce rules or issue compounds over the use of the national language, says Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek.
The government said the move was to avoid overlapping roles between DBP and other ministries and agencies that already have powers related to the use of the national language.
Fadhlina was responding to Kuala Kedah MP Ahmad Fakhruddin Fakhrurazi, who asked about the status of amendments aimed at giving DBP stronger enforcement and compound powers over breaches involving the use of Bahasa Kebangsaan in public places and the private sector, in a written parliamentary reply on Monday (Oct 19).
The Cabinet approved the policy proposal for amendments to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 in September, with the Bill expected to be drafted in the fourth quarter of this year, she said.
The proposed amendments will focus on four areas: national language standards, recognition, the development of the Malay language in Malaysia and abroad, and international strategic cooperation, Fadhlina added.
The use of the national language in public places and the private sector will instead be strengthened through strategic measures under the proposed amendments, she said.
