In April 2007, the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak called for a revamp of the nation’s school curriculum to make students proficient in English.
He said that while the national language Bahasa Malaysia was important, Malaysian students must attain a “respectable level of fluency in English so as to ensure that they are no less qualified when competing globally.”
The medium of instruction in Malaysian government schools was changed from English to Bahasa Malaysia in 1980.
In 2002, the government announced that from 2003 onwards, the teaching of science and mathematics would be done in English, in order to ensure that Malaysia will not be left behind in a world that was rapidly becoming globalised.
This paved the way for the establishment of mixed-medium education. However, the policy was heavily criticised especially by Malay linguists and activists, fearing that the policy might erode the usage of Malay language in science and mathematics.
Now, the latest story is that the government wants to switch back to Bahasa Malaysia.
I agree with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he said on Monday that he would feel sorry if the government decided to revert to teaching the subjects in Bahasa Malaysia. To quote Dr Mahathir: "If that is the case, in future, all Malays and Malaysians will be bodoh."
I come from a generation that grew up learning almost everything in English.
From primary right to Sixth Form, it was English all the way. The only time that I spoke in Bahasa Malaysia was to some of my Malay friends, my late mother and family members, but my late father, a Customs Officer, preferred to converse in English.
I even took up English literature for my Higher School Certificate examination, learning about Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Othello, among others. But all these did not mean that I had neglected my Malay language or my roots.
Thanks to this old education system, with English as the medium of instruction, things became less difficult when you go to the next level – college or university. I was accepted into Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), then MARA Institute of Technology in Shah Alam in 1974 and signed up for Diploma in Public Administration.
But I decided to change my course to Diploma in Mass Communication on the influence of my childhood friend, Zainon Mohd Isa, whom I met during the orientation period. Thanks to her, and the then Mass Communication Head of School, Marina Samad, I was accepted into the faculty. Of course, the medium of instruction was English.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that Malay is not important, but the “colonial” system is reaping the results now.
In the job market, employers especially the private sector also prefer graduates who are fluent in English. I joined Bernama in 1979 after working in the TV news section of RTM as a part time/full time reporter for almost two years.
At RTM, news were written in English and translated to other languages by the copy editors. In Bernama, reporters have to write in the language used by the source. If the text is in Malay, the news should be written in Malay and is translated to English by the English subs desk.
The policy stays until today, but blame it on the system, Bernama like many other media organisations, are also facing difficulties in hiring graduates who are fluent in English.
Over the past many years, Bernama has been taking in graduates from local universities to its editorial department, but on-the-job training has done wonders to a good number of them.
At Bernama Economic Service, most of the copies are written in English, given that the majority of events are conducted in English, especially at corporate functions.
Like it or not, reporters at BES are forced to write in English, and I am proud that the economic service has been the best training ground for many reporters. Those who have left us can vouch for that!
Most job interviews for reporters are conducted in both languages, with priority given to English. So where do our local graduates stand?
The next debate on the language issue, I suggest that we all go back to the old education system, English all the way right from primary school. It is at this tender age that one can pick up any language fast. Once everyone is comfortable with the language, you will see a new generation of Malaysians.
Remember, all our past Prime Ministers- and present – are proficient in both languages, delivering speeches at overseas forums in English, the internationally used language.
Policymakers need to be firm and consistent. Our future generation will suffer if we make the wrong decision!
