NEED TO BRING BACK MALAYSIA'S MULTIRACIAL FACE IN ADS

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Although advertisers are required to portray Malaysia's multiracial face and culture in their work, many of them have failed to abide by the guideline, Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim said Monday night.

He said the requirement had been enforced a long time ago, when he was the
information minister from 1984 to 1986.

"The crux of the matter is that there is too little of the Asean and Malaysian
face on billboards in the country. As such, we will have to remind the
advertisers gain of the requirement," he said in an interview over Malaysia's
TV3.

Dr Rais said the condition was brought up again when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
was the prime minister.

"It seems that they have forgotten ... so, if they forget, we have to remind
them again," he added.

As such, Rais said, he would hold a meeting with the Malaysian Advertisers
Association to remind them to be fair and portray the Asean and Malaysian face.

On the use of language in advertising, he said the use of Bahasa Melayu (Malay
Language) fully was not practical.

"We must be fair on the choice of the language of communication, but there must
be more usage of Bahasa Melayu," he added.

-- BERNAMA