The official language of the state shall be the Malay language and shall be in such script as may by written law be provided.

UNESCO: Brunei Darussalam

When the authorities placed restrictions on the popular opposition Malay-language newspaper Harakah, its editors began to boost its on-line version.

CNN: The inside scoop on the day's business stories

Thus when Johan Jaaffar announced July 14 that he was stepping down as editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia, the country's second-largest Malay-language daily, political pundits were quick to suspect something was afoot.

CNN: The Press Under Pressure

They released some 35, 000 Malay-language bibles.

BBC: Sarawak Chinese aloof as government wins state poll

Each country cultivates its own version of a common language, Malay, which ought to unite them but often divides.

ECONOMIST: Discord across the Malacca strait

Malay remains the national language (there are four official languages), but it is not spoken by most Chinese and is largely seen as a relic of Singapore's past union with Malaysia.

ECONOMIST: Malaysia and Singapore: Aiming to avoid Indonesia’s way | The

The search for people to blame has already claimed one prominent scalp, that of Abdul Kadir Jasin, chief editor of Malaysia's New Straits Times Group, which publishes the main Malay and English-language newspapers.

ECONOMIST: Malaysia

These will require the non-Malays, too, to place less emphasis on their language and educational rights in return for the phasing out of Malay preferences in the economy and civil service.

WSJ: Philip Bowring: The Realignment of Malaysian Politics