GEORGE TOWN: English, Chinese, Tamil, Arabic and Japanese will join Bahasa Malaysia in road signs in some parts of Penang.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the move should not be politicised as Bahasa Malaysia would still be prominent.

He said it was also in line with George Town's inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage site list.

He said multilingual signs would be used according to the historical, cultural and ethnic background of people in specific areas.

For example, areas with a Malay background would see the inclusion of Arabic, Tamil would feature in Little India and Chinese in Chinese areas.
He said George Town had been recognised due to its universal value, living heritage, religious buildings and unique shophouse architecture.

On the need to have such signs given the fact that the people had managed without them so far, he said the state government wanted to project the diversity of Penang which was the coming together of various cultures.

The move came under immediate fire from Umno with its state secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim telling the state assembly yesterday that no other place in the world had road signs in so many languages.

Tanjung Umno Youth also urged the state government to maintain Bahasa Malaysia as the sole language on road signs.

Its chief, Shaharrudin Hassan, said the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government should not play with fire in the matter.

Lim said the issue should not be politicised as the people wanted to see the diversity of cultures being highlighted.

He likened the signs to multilingual announcements at airports and other places.

"This is actually something that was supposed to be done a long time ago.

"The only reason it was not was because there was no political will.

"We want to prove that this government is one that implements and not just talks."

The issue of multilingual signs comes in the wake of styrofoam signs in Mandarin put up below road signs yesterday by a group of Gerakan Youth members.

The group, led by former Penang Municipal Councillor Dr Thor Teong Ghee, said such road signs were vital as George Town had been listed as a world heritage site by Unesco.

Dr Thor who is also a state Gerakan Youth committee member, had challenged the DAP to come up with such signs since the PR constituted the state government today.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the group from Gerakan had flouted local council regulations and would be issued notices.

"I have directed the Penang Island Municipal Council to issue a notice to Gerakan.

"They must bring down the signs or face action."

Meanwhile, Penang Municipal Council president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman said the group's action was tantamount to vandalism.

He said people cannot just go round putting up signs on their own as the matter was under the jurisdiction of the local authority.