DAP rep challenges Pahang's mandatory directive on Jawi signage
DAP's Tras assemblyperson Chow Yu Hui filed an application to challenge the Pahang government's mandatory directive to include Jawi script on signboards in the state.
In a statement today, Chow said that the leave application was filed yesterday by his lawyers M Manogaran, Jonathan and Chong Kar Yan at the Kuantan High Court...
DAP's Tras assemblyperson Chow Yu Hui filed an application to challenge the Pahang government's mandatory directive to include Jawi script on signboards in the state.
In a statement today, Chow said that the leave application was filed yesterday by his lawyers M Manogaran, Jonathan and Chong Kar Yan at the Kuantan High Court.
He said the decision to include Jawi script should be up to the people as it would be a matter of freedom of choice and sought the court to review the mandatory directive issued by the state and local governments.
"The Pahang state government and local governments should not force the people, especially business owners, NGOs or any party or group to include Jawi on their signboards.
"This has deprived them of their rights to choose freely. The targeted audience of different parties is different. For example, the customers of Chinese restaurants or Buddhist/ Taoist religious goods stores are non-Malays who cannot read Jawi. So what is the point of including Jawi?"
The Raub District Council was named as the first respondent while the Pahang state government was the second respondent.
Judge Zainal Azman Ab Aziz set Aug 28 for the decision if the leave would be granted by the court to challenge the directive.
Pahang decided last year that all business premises and road signs in the state would use Jawi writing, with the condition that the script is equal in size to the Roman letters.
The policy has been enforced since Jan 1, 2020. State Local Government and Housing Committee chairperson Abd Rahim Muda said that firm action would be taken against business premise owners in Pahang if they failed to comply.
According to Chow, his service centre in Sungai Ruan, Tras, received a summons from Raub District Council on Jan 9, 2020.
Chow believed that promoting Jawi writing could be done via encouragement and a voluntary approach instead of making it mandatory.
He also pointed out that the state government's directive has unreasonably increased the time, money and administrative costs of stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Pahang DAP secretary Lee Chin Chen was present at Kuantan High Court to show his support to the legal action.
“DAP Pahang State Committee has decided to oppose the policy as it is not in line with the principle of multiculturalism, and it would burden the business owners," Lee was quoted saying in the statement.
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