Izah Azahari
The mandatory use of jawi in signage of every government building and business body in Brunei Darussalam was highlighted in yesterday’s International Malay Language, Literature and Culture Congress Series (KABSBM) organised by the Language and Literature Bureau (DBP).
It was discussed in a paper presentation by DBP Acting Deputy Director Hajah Sariani binti Haji Ishak and DBP Language Officer Raieham bin Mohd Salleh at the virtual event chaired by DBP Language Officer Hajah Norati binti Bakar.
According to the paper titled Papan Tanda di Negara Brunei Darussalam: Jawi dan Terjemahan, the mandatory use of jawi in every government building and business body signboards including nameplates, letterheads, notice boards, posters, advertisements, banners, names and road signs in the Sultanate is stated in the Prime Minister’s Office Circular Bil No 21/1988.
The paper discussed several issues and challenges including business names that are creative and made up of a mix of languages.
Hajah Sariani said such names’ uniqueness might be a value for the businesses but it may lead to linguistic confusion. Other issues discussed include misspellings and language structure error. To address the issues, DBP is proposing to the Registrar of Companies and Business Names (ROCBN) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) to consult the bureau before approving registration.
The matter is still under discussion. The virtual event saw 142 attendees including Permanent Secretary (Strategy and Policy Management) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Pengiran Haji Mohd Hasnan bin Pengiran Haji Ali Hassan, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MCYS Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah, DBP Acting Director Haji Suip bin Haji Abdul Wahab, DBP partners, government officials as well as local and foreign language enthusiasts.
KABSBM is supported by Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan, Brunei Youth Council, Asterawani and Putra Seni Group.
It is a series of events from March 16 to June 22 with working paper presentations tabled on Monday and Wednesday. There will be 23 paper presentations comprising three keynote papers and 20 accompanying papers.
