CYBERJAYA: Official letters sent to government departments must be in Malay, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister said that letters which are not sent in the national language would be returned to the sender.

"I want to remind the public and private sectors of the directive that those who correspond in a language other than the national language, their letters will be sent back," he said.

Speaking at the launch of the Karnival Dekad Bahasa Kebangsaan and Dekad Membaca Kebangsaan at the Multimedia University on Wednesday (Oct 25), Anwar said that there is some confusion on emphasising the use of international languages.

"But there is an attitude taken which oversteps and deviates among some government departments, universities and private universities including the private sector which attempts to abandon the basis of the Constitution with regard to communicating with the government in the national language," he added.

Anwar said this directive should not be taken lightly, adding a clearer one would be issued by the Civil Service Department on the matter.

He said that achieving economic success would mean little if the national language, which was part of our culture, was not championed.

Anwar stressed that he was not taking a narrow view on the matter but one which emphasised the use of the national language.

"I remind my friends that I would not have lectured at Washington University if I had not mastered the English language. But rooting down to earth and championing of the national language is something intimate in nation building," he added.

He urged the younger generation to inculcate the habit of reading which has been adversely affected in recent years due to the advent of social media.