An opposition MP has urged the government to set a clear target to make Bahasa Melayu the authoritative language for all national laws by 2030.
Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN–Besut) said many statutes still used the English version as the authoritative text, even after nearly six decades since the enactment of the National Language Act 1963/67.
“If the government is serious, it should set a clear target… for example, to complete the translation of all English language Acts by 2030 and make the Malay version the authoritative one,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Che Mohamad said some recent bills debated in Parliament still contained mixed languages, which, he said, went against the spirit of the National Language Act.
Many laws in Malaysia were originally drafted in English during the…