The Sun(http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=27874)
Multi-lingual signboards go up in Penang today
by Opalyn Mok (Fri, 21 Nov 2008)
GEORGE TOWN (Nov 21, 2008): Fending off criticisms and even an impending law suit, the Penang government today went ahead and started installing dual-lingual road signs in the heritage zone here.
Visiting the first two roads within the heritage zone here which have the new dual-lingual road signs up, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government will keep its word in putting up road signs with two languages regardless.
“As you can see, the Bahasa Malaysia words are still here and the additional language is inserted at the bottom, so there is no question of insulting the national language at all,” he said, while showing one of the road signs to pressmen.
He explained that these signs will prove useful to tourists and related an anecdote where a Taiwanese tourist who was here went back to Taiwan and told his friend of the places to visit.
“One of the road names he told his friend was 'Jalan Sehala (one-way road)'. This shows that our road signs can be confusing to foreigners,” he said.
Lim said having dual-language road signs in certain tourist areas will be able to promote George Town as an international city that welcomes everyone just like the Penang international airport.
As for criticisms and objections from Umno leaders and some groups against these road signs, Lim said it is their choice to continue to be narrow minded.
“Let them remain in their coconut shell (katak bawah tempurung) but we don't want to be under the coconut shell,” he said.
The new road signs put up are along Lebuh Carnavon and Lebuh Acheh.
Lebuh Carnavon has an additional Chinese translation below the main wordings in Bahasa Malaysia while along Lebuh Acheh there are four road signs, one with only Bahasa Malaysia and the three others with additional Chinese, Tamil and Arabic translations.
It costs RM150 to put up the new road sign board and RM150 more if a new stand is needed to take the board.
On another issue, Lim, as the DAP secretary-general, said he is now awaiting a full report regarding the arrest of a councillor from DAP in Taiping over alleged possession of pirated VCDs.
“We do not know whether the arrest is politically motivated or not so he does not have to step down because of this yet,” he said, adding he is waiting for a report on this matter.
He said national Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had been charged in court, does not need to step down as the charge was obviously politically motivated.
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