I enjoyed reading Dr Mazeni Alwi's piece on Bridging the English divide and hope my comments serve as a useful counterpoint for discussion.

I am an English-speaking urban Chinese Malaysian professional male working in Kuala Lumpur.

I studied in a Malaysian national school before the language of instruction was changed from English to Malay. I do not speak Mandarin but I do speak both Cantonese and Bahasa Malaysia fluently, most often at work. Most of my friends prefer to speak English.

My propensity to use the English language does not make me feel any less Chinese or Malaysian although I run the risk of being labeled an unpatriotic 'banana' (yellow-skinned fellow who thinks like a white-skinned fellow).

All the same, I like the way I am, and have no desire to be otherwise. In short, I am unapologetic for my language preferences.

My Asian language skills and British professional qualifications have enabled me to go anywhere in the world. They have also improved my employment prospects in many countries, including the US, UK, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, China or Malaysia.

My choices of working and living places would not have been so wide had I been fluent in only Malay and Mandarin. The current language and education policies have narrowed the choices for many Malaysians with little or no English skills.

Even for Hong Kong, China, Singapore or Malaysia, it is English language skills that improve one's competitiveness in the job market. It is painful to see bright young Malaysians edged out of good jobs for lack of English proficiency.

I have no qualms competing with native English-speaking Westerners on their turf. The notion of bahasa jiwa bangsa (language is the soul of the nation) was never relevant to me. I never felt I had somehow lost my identity by my preference to speak English over Chinese or Malay.

I am more concerned that I be allowed the freedom to choose the language and education I wish for myself, more so in a multiethnic, multicultural society where nationalistic fervour can overshadow good sense.

If given freedom of choice today, I believe the ethnic Chinese would choose Mandarin and English, the ethnic Malays would choose Malay and English, and the ethnic Indians would choose Tamil and English as their two preferred languages of instruction for their children's education.

Unlike Mazeni, I do not think an education in the national language improves racial unity in the country. I believe English-speaking Malaysians are more inclined to be multiculturally sensitive while those who speak their own mother tongue tend to stick to their own kind only.

Unlike Mazeni, I do not care if foreigners can string a sentence together in Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin or Tamil. I am more interested in knowing if they are investing lots of money in Malaysia. What language they choose to use or to what extent they want to 'go native' is their prerogative, not mine.

I don't think any less of Chinese who can't speak Chinese or Malays for not speaking Malay fluently. I certainly do not share Mazeni's observation that Malay is mostly spoken by losers and never-do-wells.

It is important for us to realise the folly of our short-sighted national education and language policies. It is time we reintroduced English language national schools for the country's good. We must at least try to offer such schools as a choice for Malaysians who want to get an education that puts them on a competitive footing.

Only Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has thus far the guts and determination to emphasise the importance of English language fluency and use in education despite strong protests from both within and outside his party.