The government of Malaysia has announced plans to punish those who misuse the national language by imposing fines on them. A new group, whose job will be to identify the culprits of these offenses, will be created to enforce the law.

Mixing the national language, Malay, with English is rife in the former British colony. The minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage Rais Yatim has said the fines could reach 1,000 ringgit ($271).

Posters that carry incorrect Malay mixed with English will also be targeted by the law. A local paper quotes Rais as saying the move was intended to make sure that, "the national language was not sidelined in any way."

He said, "It has to be admitted that a mixture of Bahasa Malaysia and English sometimes cannot be helped, but we hope these measures can arrest the decline." But the fines will only be imposed after culprits receive a first warning.