KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — The government should amend the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act to give the department enforcement powers against property developers that use non-Malaysian names for their projects, said former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said this would make Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka the correct enforcers to pursue what he deemed to be abuses of the Malay language, and eliminate overlaps with local authorities.

According to Free Malaysia Today, Ismail complained that developers were increasingly using French and Spanish names for their developments instead of Malaysian-related ones.

"They (DBP) cannot impose fines on these developers, which is why I feel it should be empowered,” he was quoted as saying at the third "Simposium Antarabangsa Aspirasi Bahasa Melayu” here.

Ismail Sabri also said the government should require the private sector to use Malay for all official purposes, in order to elevate the national language’s standing both locally and abroad.

Among others, he suggested that the government only respond to invitations sent in Malay and to conduct events using the national language even when hosting international guests.

Foreign guests could follow along with speeches in Malay with the aid of translators or subtitles, he said.

"We start first with the government and then we get the private sector. When the private sector invites us to open a programme, it has to be on our terms,” he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.