DBP’s board of governors chairman Prof Mohamed Hatta Shaharom said this when explaining Thomas’s appointment which had come under scrutiny by some social media users due to his known lack of fluency in Bahasa Malaysia.

A photo of DBP’s board of directors questioning Thomas’s appointment had gone viral over the past week.

Speaking to reporters after the “Forum Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa” here today, Hatta said the AG was among the six board member positions reserved for government officials. Others include the Keeper of the Ruler’s Seal and the Public Service Department director-general.

He added that the appointment of Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin was based on his expertise in religion.

At the forum, Hatta also voiced concern that tahfiz school students were not mixing enough with non-Muslims.

“As a Muslim, Islam to me is the truth. At the same time, Islam encourages us to live with non-Muslims and build the nation together.”

He said it may not be good if they did not mix with non-Muslims and did not study other worldly subjects which could enrich their lives.

On the use of other languages on signboards, Hatta said DBP’s stand was that for official matters, only Malay should be used, in line with the Federal Constitution.

“But in other areas, it is fine to use other languages. Many feel sensitive about this issue but we should refer to the constitution.”