Ismail Sabri Yaakob said an amendment was needed to prevent an overlap between DBP, the government body tasked with coordinating the use of the Malay language, and other authorities, like the local councils.

He said DBP was currently powerless to act against housing developers who give their residences either Spanish or French-inspired names instead of Malaysian ones.

“They (DBP) cannot impose fines on these developers, which is why I feel it should be empowered,” he told reporters after officiating an international symposium on the Malay language here today.

Ismail said the last time amendments were made to the DBP Act was in 1995 and a revision based on current issues was necessary.

He also hoped DBP could take immediate action to amend the act to uphold the Malay language.

He suggested that Malay  be used in official government dealings, including during working visits to foreign countries, to strengthen the use of the language.

“To boost confidence in the use of Malay at the international level, I am appealing to the government to take measures to homogenise the different versions of the Malay language and make it Asean’s second language,” he said, referring to the Malay language used in Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand.

In 2022, Ismail had proposed that Malay be used as the grouping’s second language, in a bid to elevate the language at the international level.

He had also used Malay during his official visits to Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

In 2022, Ismail became the first Malaysian prime minister to make his address in Malay at the 77th UN General Assembly.