'Chinese letter' by MBIP councillor just a translation: Exco

JOHOR BARU: Johor Local Government, Science and Technology Committee chairman Tan Hong Pin has clarified that the formal letter written in Mandarin by the Iskandar Putri City Council (MBIP) member was actually a translated version of its original text in Bahasa Melayu (Malay language).
He said the letter regarding a community dialogue was written in three languages in a spirit of goodwill.
"The formal letter issued by the councillor is in Malay language and its translation in two other languages (Mandarin and English) are attached to the letter without the reference number.
"This is just to facilitate understanding among the residents, who may have poor command of the Malay language, to join the community dialogue.
"I uphold and respect the status of Malay language as the national language and after talking to the councillor, I found that he has no intention whatsover to challenge the status of the national language," he said.
Earlier, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar was reported to be angry that a MBIP councillor was found to have used Mandarin instead of Bahasa Melayu in the council's formal letter.
The Sultan said any formal letter issued by the state government or local authorities in Johor must be written in Bahasa Melayu, which is the national language of the country. — Bernama