KUALA LUMPUR — Jawi script on all signboards may be made compulsory in Kedah under a proposal the state government is mulling.
This will include advertisement signboards, where Jawi will be the second script after the Roman alphabet, said state exco for local government and health, Mansor Zakaria.
The state will allow the use of a third script, as long as Jawi script is used, he told Harian Metro.
Mansor said Kedah was making the effort to employ greater use of Jawi script in line with the state’s other by-laws on the use of the script.
“We already have existing by-laws promoting the use of Jawi, so. This means that all signboards should use Jawi script as the second language (on the signboard).”
As for the images allowed on signboards in the state, the state government is proposing a ban on pictures of women in skimpy dressing.
“The proposal calls for a ban on signboard advertising that depicts pictures of visuals of offensive items and which have elements of sedition, racism as well as dangerous weapons,” Harian Metro quoted Mansor as saying.
All district local authorities in Kedah will be tasked with enforcing these rules if the state government adopts them, he added.
It was reported earlier this month that neighbouring Perlis would begin mandating Jawi script on new signboards as well as replacement signboards for business premises in the state, effective Feb 1.
Besides business premises, advertising billboards and road signs in housing areas will also be affected, Perlis’ housing, local government, human resources and poverty eradication exco Asrul Airman Abd Jalil was reported saying.
Pahang also has rules on using Jawi script on signboards for all business premises which was challenged in court in 2020 by two businessmen from Kuantan who invoked the equality clause in Article 8 of the Federal Constitution.
In Feb 2023, they lost their judicial review at the Court of Appeal which upheld the high court’s finding that there was no wrong in the Pahang government’s ruling. – January 14, 2025