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Dewan Bahasa said the allegation was untrue and misleading. It said all materials including 1,077 books received from the former Borneo Literature Bureau in 1977 were still preserved in storage.
The allegation was made in a year-old post in Reddit’s Sarawak community page, which was reposted yesterday on the Sarawak Public Feedback page.
The agency said it is entrusted with safeguarding and upholding language and literature and has carried out research and documentation of tribal languages and indigenous folklore in Sarawak as well as published dictionaries of tribal languages such as Melanau Mukah, Iban, Vaie and Sarawak Malay.
In addition, Dewan Bahasa had also published 44 titles of folk literature and Iban language textbooks officially used for teaching in schools in Sarawak.
The agency said its Sarawak branch would continue to carry out research, conservation and publication “in honouring tribal languages, folk literature and the uniqueness found in the multi-racial community in Sarawak”.
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