Hi everyone, my name is Jeffry. I am based on Borneo, specifically in Sarawak and Sabah, and I frequently commute between these two states.
Both Sarawak and Sabah have state roads. Sarawak state road codes begin with “Q”, while Sabah uses “SA”. However, despite having designated road codes, Sabah state roads remain largely obsolete. This is due to the lack of authority under Sabah’s Highway Ordinance, which does not empower the Sabah state government to gazette roads officially as state roads. As a result, certain roads in Sabah such as Jalan Semporna (SA51) and Jalan Tenom–Sindumun (SA33) carry state road numbers that are purely cosmetic and without legal gazettement. Frankly, this is quite unfortunate.
In contrast, Sarawak operates under a State Roads Ordinance that grants the state government proper authority to gazette roads officially as state roads. This provides Sarawak with a clearer and more robust administrative framework for state road designation.
On the topic of Sarawak, it is worth noting that English remains the official language of the Sarawak state government, while Malay is the national language of Malaysia. As a result, many state-related affairs and paperwork in Sarawak including road naming are officially conducted in English. JKR Sarawak oversees state roads in Sarawak, and accordingly, some state roads have English names, while others are named in Malay. Federal roads, however, consistently use Malay, as they fall under federal jurisdiction and the official working language of Federal JKR is Malay.
For Sarawak mappers who may be unsure which language to use when mapping a road, there is no need to worry. The road maintenance signage located at the end of state roads provides the definitive answer. If the signage is displayed in English, then the road name should be mapped in English. You may, however, add Malay as an additional language if desired. I have attached some photos to illustrate this situation.
State Route Q458: Kpg. Asajaya Laut Road
In short, it is best practice to follow the language used on the official signage, as it reflects the road name officially registered by JKR Sarawak.