The zeal and enthusiasm of William D Ong in his letter 10 reasons for return of English-medium schools , though thereotically commendable and praiseworthy, seems to suggest that the writer has grown up and is living and working in an English monolingual world that has totally lost all emotive contacts and touches with the realities in Malaysia, and other non-English speaking portion of the globe.

Not many reasonable Malaysians dare to deny the importance of English anymore. The question is how to promote the language in a manner and with methods not perceived to be oppressive and disorientating to millions of people who include not only school-going children but also their parents and teachers.

Human beings are not computers. They cannot be programmed at will to start talking in another language instantaneously like we can install a different operating system in our computer within an hour or two for a change.

To implement William's proposal without delay would certainly need the ruthlessness of another Khmer Rouge-like regime. Always remember: We are dealing with human beings, not things.

All sides must listen to other sides with patience.