SIBU: State Deputy Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Michael Tiang stated that the Federal Government has a responsibility to accept English letters in official communications from Sarawak. Tiang clarified that the National Language Act 1963/67 was not extended to Sarawak, therefore citizens are free to use English or Malay for letters to federal government departments. He emphasized that the use of the English language in Sarawak is guaranteed by Article 161(3) of the Federal Constitution. His statement was in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s directive to only entertain letters written in Bahasa Malaysia.
Tiang, also the Pelawan assemblyman, reminded the Prime Minister that both English and Malay are official languages in Sarawak, making his directive inapplicable to the state.
