KUCHING: Sarawak reaffirmed its full commitment to strengthening Bahasa Melayu as the official language in the state’s syariah legal system.
The commitment was highlighted by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan during the ‘Symposium on the Empowerment of the National Language as the Language of the Syariah Courts’ held at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Sarawak Cultural Hall today.
Reading Awang Tengah’s speech on his behalf, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations), Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, said that in a sovereign nation, the national language plays a crucial role as the core medium of administration, including in the legal system, which serves as the foundation of justice.
“Bahasa Melayu has long served as a language capable of expressing various fields of knowledge, including law, from ancient times to the modern era,” Awang Tengah said in his speech.
He stressed that the empowerment of Bahasa Melayu within the justice system should not be limited to syariah courts but extended to the civil courts as well.
“I encourage similar symposiums to be held to strengthen the use of the national language within the civil judiciary,” he said.
He noted that the symposium serves as an important platform to unite legal experts, academics, and students in nurturing appreciation and pride for the national language among legal practitioners.
He also emphasised that the study of law should not remain exclusive to professionals.
“We want to democratise access to legal understanding by using the national language as the main medium, allowing the public to better grasp issues of justice,” he said.
He added that the Sarawak Government, through its relevant agencies such as the State Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Sarawak Syariah Judiciary Department, the Mufti Department, the Sarawak Legal Aid Department, and DBP, is strengthening collaboration to publish more legal reference materials, terminology guides, and standardised legal language documents.
Meanwhile, Sharifah Hasidah reaffirmed the state’s commitment to supporting initiatives that elevate the status of Bahasa Melayu across all sectors, including syariah law.
“The national language must be preserved and upheld at the highest level, even as we recognise the importance of English,” she stressed.
