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 colonial period. After Merdeka, the Federal Constitution permitted English to remain the authoritative language for many Acts during a 10-year transitional period, facilitating a gradual shift to Bahasa Melayu as the national language.
The National Language Act 1963/67 stipulate that laws predating Sept 1, 1967, stay in their original language, mostly English, unless a formal order for a Malay translation as the authoritative text is issued by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
While some Acts, such as the Nurses Act 1950, Elections Act 1958, and Statutory Declarations Act 1960, have since been re-gazetted in Malay, others, especially the core statutes like the Penal Code and Contracts Act, remain primarily in English.
