BY: LYNDY ANG

In Malaysia, there is growing concern over the declining standard of the English language and concerned people, especially seniors and educationists, are calling for moves to be made to arrest the rot.

In a globalized era, where the English language has been chosen as the medium of communication by the world, it is very important to master the language as it will make us Malaysians globally competitive.

But since Bahasa Malaysia is the national language it is important to have an equal emphasis on this language as it is the medium through which people in this country choose to communicate other than using English.

However, it is critically important not to forget our mother tongue since English is not our mother tongue but an adopted language used for convenience among the people not only in Malaysia but around the world.

Whether our mother tongue is Malay, Mandarin or other dialects or Tamil or Urdu, there must remain a connectedness with our mother tongue as it identifies us and defines us and because it is our heritage.

There must never be a reason to usurp our mother tongues although English and Malay are widely used by Malaysians. Instead there is a need to maintain the link with these heritage languages and dialects.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher