
Lawyer wants BM version of constitution declared as authoritative text
PETALING JAYA : A lawyer has filed a suit against the government in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, seeking a declaration that the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Federal Constitution is the authoritative text.
Haniff Khatri Abdulla said he filed the writ of summons and statement of claim through the law firm Ahmad Fuad Abi & Aidil.
The suit names the government as the defendant and is aimed at getting the High Court to declare that the Bahasa Malaysia version of the constitution should take precedence over the English version.
'This suit is based on Article 160B of the Federal Constitution, which provides that if and when the constitution has been translated into the national language, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may prescribe the national language text as the authoritative text.
'After that, if there is any conflict or inconsistency between the national language and English text, then the national language text shall prevail,' he said.
Although the Agong had launched the BM version of the constitution on Sept 29, 2003, Haniff said, the government has yet to make it the authoritative version.
'Even more than two decades later, the government continues to fail, refuse and/or neglect to enforce the position of the text in the national language as the authoritative version,' he said.
He claimed this was a breach of the government's constitutional duty to ensure that it took the necessary steps to uphold and dignify the national language.
'It is highly unreasonable that a sovereign and independent nation like Malaysia still does not have an authoritative constitutional text in its own national language, more than six decades after achieving independence,' he said.
In 2023, then attorney-general Idrus Harun said the Attorney-General's Chambers planned to suggest that the government make the Bahasa Malaysia version of the constitution the authoritative text.
However, he said, this was subject to the approval of the king.
This proposal was met with opposition from an interfaith council, which said relying on the Bahasa Malaysia text would have an effect on the Federal Court ruling on unilateral conversion.
An MP also said such a move must first obtain Sabah and Sarawak's approval.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Sejahtera Madani initiative launched, nearly RM120m raised to end poverty
Published on: Thursday, July 24, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 24, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Pic by Bernama PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysia Madani People's Wellbeing Initiative (Sejahtera Madani), launched today to end poverty, has successfully raised nearly RM120 million, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ( pic ) announced. Speaking at the launch, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the initiative had received overwhelming support from the private sector, surpassing its initial fundraising target of RM50 million. 'I said if Sejahtera Madani could raise RM50 million, that would already be a success, and the government could top it up a bit, but today the response has not just doubled, it's gone far beyond that. 'The initiative has now raised nearly RM120 million. This is a meaningful project, and we want to drive this nation to become strong and great,' he said. Present at the event were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar. Anwar also reiterated his Madani Government's commitment to ending hardcore poverty in Malaysia through coordinated efforts and strategic approaches. 'My target, together with the Cabinet, is to end hardcore poverty. Based on data from 2023 to 2024, we've made significant progress. Even though new cases may emerge, the overall numbers are far lower than before,' he said. The Prime Minister also praised the commitment of all stakeholders, particularly the private sector and Islamic religious councils, for working alongside the government to tackle one of the country's most persistent issues. Sejahtera Madani is a national initiative aimed at assisting poor and hardcore poor households registered under the National Poverty Database or the eKasih system. Coordinated by the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department (ICU JPM), the initiative consolidates various aid interventions across ministries, agencies, and private entities for a focused and integrated poverty eradication strategy. In a statement issued at the launch, ICU JPM described Sejahtera Madani as being anchored on a "whole-of-nation approach," enhanced with high-impact and sustainable programs targeting both heads of households and household members under the eKasih system. The initiative focuses on four key areas, namely income generation, education, housing, and social welfare. The government is targeting RM100 million in corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions for Sejahtera Madani, all of which will be channelled to the People's Wellbeing Fund managed by ICU JPM. 'All CSR contributions under this initiative qualify for income tax deductions under Subsection 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967,' the statement read. As of July 15, a total of 306,403 heads of households are registered in the eKasih database nationwide, comprising 1,017 classified as hardcore poor and 305,386 as poor. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Man probed over grossly provocative post against PM
The offending post was uploaded on social media on July 2 but no further details were provided by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. PETALING JAYA : A man is said to be under investigation over a posting he made on his Facebook account. When contacted, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) confirmed that it had initiated an investigation against the suspect for 'uploading false and grossly provocative contents' against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The suspect's mobile phone and SIM card have been seized to assist the investigation under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. The offending post was uploaded on social media on July 2. However, no other details were provided by MCMC.


Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Modi and Starmer sign landmark UK-India trade deal to boost £25.5b commerce
LONDON, July 24 — Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Britain's 'unique bonds' with India as he and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi formally signed a recently announced UK-India trade deal during talks today. Starmer hailed the agreement as a 'landmark moment' for both countries as he hosted India's leader at his Chequers country estate, northwest of London. 'This is not the extent or the limit of our collaboration with India,' added the British premier, whose year-old government is struggling to fire up an economy weakened by years of stagnant growth and high inflation. 'We have unique bonds of history, of family and of culture and we want to strengthen our relationship further, so that it is even more ambitious, modern and focused on the long term,' he said. Starmer and Modi announced in May they had struck a free trade agreement that the British government says will eventually add £4.8 billion (RM27.4 billion) a year to the UK economy. The UK and India hope the accord will boost trade between the two countries by £25.5 billion, as well as bolstering the British economy and wages. Modi, standing alongside Starmer during a media appearance, described the deal as a 'blueprint for our shared prosperity'. Britain and India are the sixth and fifth largest global economies respectively, with a trade relationship worth around £41 billion and investment supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries. The accord slashes tariffs on imports of UK goods into India, including whisky, cosmetics and medical devices. In return, the United Kingdom will cut tariffs on clothes, footwear and food products including frozen prawns from India. Starmer and Modi were also likely to discuss last month's Air India disaster in which 241 people died when a London-bound flight crashed after taking off from Ahmedabad in western India. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed in the June 12 crash, one of the deadliest plane disasters in terms of the number of British fatalities. Sikh blogger A lawyer for 20 British families said this week the repatriation of victims had been marred by errors with one relative finding that a returned coffin contained 'co-mingled' remains. A different family was told a coffin contained the body of someone else entirely, not their loved one, he said, according to UK media. India's foreign ministry has said all remains 'were handled with utmost professionalism' and that it is 'continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue'. Another tricky topic of discussion could be that of Scottish sikh blogger Jagtar Singh Johal, imprisoned in India since 2017 on accusations of being part of a terror plot against right-wing Hindu leaders. He has not been convicted of a crime and in March was cleared of one of the nine charges against him. His brother Gurpreet Singh Johal said in a statement the case 'should be high on the agenda' during the two leaders' meeting. Starmer and Modi have met twice recently, at the G7 summit in Canada last month and at the G20 meeting in Brazil last year. Modi was also due to see King Charles III during his brief stay in Britain, his fourth visit since becoming India's leader in 2014. — AFP