KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — The Tamil, Iban and Kadazan languages are now among 24 languages displayed on the KL Tower welcome wall.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the improvements were made after the issue of the absence of the Tamil language gained public attention earlier this month, sparking dissatisfaction among the Indian community and local media.
Following this, she said, immediate action was taken by contacting the KL Tower management to ensure the Tamil language was included, in addition to the Iban and Kadazan languages, in recognition of the country’s linguistic diversity.
“The proposal for various language texts was finalised on September 11 and followed by the installation on September 28. We came here today to see the installation work,” she said at a press conference at the site here today.
According to Teo, the display of the Tamil language on the welcome wall holds special significance ahead of the upcoming Deepavali celebrations.
“This reflects the spirit of Malaysia Madani that values all races and languages in this country. I hope it is a meaningful gift to the Indian community in conjunction with Deepavali,” she said.
Teo also recorded her thanks to the KL Tower management for implementing the improvements in such a short time, even though the new management company only took over operations in April.
Meanwhile, Klang MP Ganabatirau Veraman, who was also present, expressed his sincere thanks to Teo for raising the matter with the management and considered it a recognition for the Indian community in Malaysia.
The KL Tower welcome wall was installed in November 2021, with displays in 21 languages including Malay, English, Mandarin, Japanese, and Arabic.
However, the absence of the Tamil language sparked dissatisfaction in the local community after it was raised by Ganabatirau and went viral on social media.
Following this, the authorities, including Teo, assured the Tamil language would be added immediately, with the KL Tower management asked to expedite the process.
