Does Malaysia need Singapore to help teach its students English? By implication, has there been any doubt that Singaporeans are more proficient in the language than Malaysians? A big double No.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim floated an idea earlier last week when he met his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong in Putrajaya at a get-to-know-each-other meeting. His request went viral on social media among Malaysians, who described it as insulting.
Malaysians do not need Singapore to teach them English. I agree.
Anwar quickly clarified: “Recently, I met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and discussed several matters. (These included the possibility of) establishing an aid scheme from Singapore or getting volunteers, fully paid by the Singaporean Government, to go to rural areas, villages and the interior of Sabah and Sarawak to teach English.”
He said the proposal, meant to be a volunteer programme, aims to boost English proficiency and improve bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore.
“Listen first. Sometimes, the ‘three-minute experts’ will simply make (claims) on social media, and all their facts are wrong,” said Anwar. “The assumption is that we are appointing English teachers from Singapore. That is wrong.”
Next question: Who is actually more proficient in the language, which is generally acknowledged as an important key to progress, access to knowledge, and better jobs?
In the Education First (EF) English Proficiency 2023 Index, Singapore ranked second globally out of 113 other countries and first in Asia with the highest English proficiency. The Netherlands topped the survey.
Singapore led the region, followed by the Philippines and Malaysia, which held the 20th and 25th positions worldwide.
Malaysians are not laggards. They match Singaporeans in their command of the language. They might have chosen Bahasa as their main language for nationalistic and cultural reasons. But English continues to flourish in the urban areas, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca.
Not all, but many of their political leaders are very comfortable with the language.
A large part of the Malaysian diaspora can be found in the same Western countries that seem to be favoured by some Singaporeans – Australia, UK, Canada and the US. Many students from both sides of the Causeway graduate from the same universities in these countries. No issue with English at all. There is a linguistic reservoir to tap.
The language has long been in the DNA of many Malaysians, including the country’s royalty, some of whom speak impeccable English. In fact, when Singapore became independent in 1965, we looked at the Malaysian diplomatic corps with much awe and envy.
While the Malaysians had already had a smooth-running corps which knew how to organise and conduct black tie dinners and speak the right language, because of longstanding familiarity with things English, our boys and girls from Toa Payoh and Ghim Moh had to scramble to pick up the mannerisms and the high-standard language expected at such functions.
Finally, there is a vibrant and highly professional English language media scene in Malaysia, compared to the increasingly insipid and professionally challenged poor cousin in Singapore.
The English language, in clarity and purpose, is very much alive in Malaysia. The Star, Malay Mail and Malaysiakini can teach the Singapore press a thing or two in English language communication.
For English, Malaysians do not have anything to learn from Singaporeans. Indeed, the way we are being sinicised, we may have to learn from them one day.
Tan Bah Bah is a former senior leader writer with The Straits Times. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company