KUCHING, Aug 9: Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, have you recently opened a stall within a popular food court in Petaling Jaya, Selangor to promote Sarawak Laksa?
A stall bearing the name “Sarawak Laksa by Abang Jo” has garnered considerable attention among netizens, following its sharing by Sarawakku on a social media platform today.
Sarawakku has even claimed that the utilisation of the Sarawak Premier’s name for specific purposes necessitates approval from the Premier.
It is worth noting that the Premier of Sarawak is commonly referred to as Abang Jo.
In the caption of the post, Sarawakku commented, “It is good to know that Sarawak Laksa has found its way into a popular food court in Petaling Jaya. The owner of the eating place has probably seen it as a good marketing strategy to associate it with the Premier though it has nothing to do with him. Using the Premier’s name for public or other purposes do need permission from the Premier.”
This drew questions from netizens with one raising issue of whether it is legally impermissible to use Abang Jo’s name, considering that the establishment is situated within the state of Selangor, rather than in Sarawak.
This individual has also inquired whether the Sarawak Constitution or related laws hold the authority to dictate whether the owner must obtain permission from the Premier in order to display such signage.
“Premier is just a premier. They are merely just elected ADUN (elected member) to be the leader of the State. It’s not like they are the king. If things have to be done this way, does it mean every signage with Anwar (name) on it have to ask permission from the PM (Prime Minister)?,” the netizen added.
Another commentator added, “Although the name is phonetically similar, its meaning may be different. My interpretation is that the name pertains to the establishment itself and does not necessarily align with the name of the Sarawak Premier. ‘Abang’ primarily denotes a status here and differs from ‘Abang’ within a name.”
Numerous other netizens also expressed their opinions, with some highlighting that many people share the nickname ‘Abang Jo’. Some criticisms were directed at Sarawakku for asserting such claims without considering this aspect. — DayakDaily
