BY OH ING YEEN

EIGHTEEN new villages in Selangor will have road signs in both Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese soon.

Among them are Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai, Kampung Baru Sungai Chua, Kampung Baru Subang, Kampung Baru Ijok and Kampung Dato’ Harun (C) Serendah.

A total of RM264,443 has been allocated for the purpose, said state Local Government Development Committee chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah, who had proposed the bilingual road signs last year.

He added that the state government would allocate funds to local councils based on applications by each Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK).

“They can also apply from the state Economic Planning Unit (Upen),” he told reporters at his office yesterday.

Ean Yong added that village heads who had yet to submit their applications, had six months to do so.

He said the state would also allocate funds for new road signs in traditional Malay villages with Bahasa Malaysia and Jawi lettering. In both instances, the road name in Bahasa Malaysia would be 30% larger as it is the national language.

There are 77 new villages in the state, and so far, 18 have applied for the bilingual road signs which were approved.

Ean Yong said the JKKK would submit the proposed names in Chinese, and the state government would go through them to ensure the names were appropriate.

“The objective is to preserve the local Chinese culture and historical value, as well as for the convenience of villagers who know the roads by the Chinese name,” he said.

Kampung Baru Kwan Tung village head Lim Thian Ser, who is looking forward to the new road signs, said he had submitted an application to the land office last December.

“While the road names in Bahasa Malaysia are for official and postal use, it is useful for villagers who may only know the roads’ Chinese names.

“It is also a form of identity for the village,” he said.

Hulu Selangor village liaison officer Eng Teck Ming concurred, saying the villagers welcome the new road signs.

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