MS' letter More than English skills to halt Indian poverty deserves wider discussion and reflection. The question for all of us to think about is thought-provoking: If the mastery of English is the only way to national prosperity and personal success, then there would not be beggars in the birthplace of William Shakespeare or BBC .

Reversely, according to that silly and childish logic, countries like Sweden and Switzerland where English is not the lingua fraca should be among the poorest nations on earth.

MS is right. No problem is non-causal or stemming from one single cause. Poverty, for example, could arise from many factors, including geography, climate, social cultures, personal habits, political discrimination, or economic exploitation, or a combination of these factors.

Similarly, terrorism could be attributed to many causes operating simultaneously, like poverty, violation of human rights, lack of democratic participation, psychological health of the terrorists themselves and political oppression, real or merely felt. Attributing terrorism solely to Islam per se , or Muslims as such, often by English-speaking westernised politicians and journalists, is also very wrong.

There are potential terrorists in all religious, cultural and linguistic groups. For example, there was a Japanese cult leader who decided to poison innocent people in a Tokyo subway in 1995. Similarly, there were secular fascists in Europe and atheist Khmer Rouge in Cambodia whose atrocities equalled the al-Qaeda.

The Zionist regime in Israel has also committed many atrocities against Arabs and Palestinians in the name of 'national security' but whose substance is none other than state-sponsored terrorism.

But always remember: Two wrongs do not make a right. As far as the educational issue is concerned, there is certainly a need for more lengthy and in-depth public discourse.

Using the Internal Security Act to stop others from voicing their opinion does not reflect well on the promoters of the English language. If the fascist impatience is not rectified, one day emergency would be imposed and harsher laws invoked to force parents and children to attend Science and Math lessons in English.

Let us teach Malaysians to love, not hate English. I am sure most people agree with this.