Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today defended the government's move to use English as a medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools, saying teaching the subjects in mother tongues will not do any good for a multi-racial Malaysia.
The premier said if mother tongues are exclusively used in Science and Mathematics, students may end up in universities which belong to only a particular race.
"[Currently], universities in Malaysia are open to all races where English and Bahasa Malaysia are used as mediums of instruction.
"If mother tongue is exclusively used for Science and Mathematics, then those who do not speak the language may not be able to go to some universities," said Mahathir in his speech at the opening of the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.
The 30,000 students in the MCA-run university are predominantly Chinese Malaysians.
The premier said Malaysian universities will not be in the same league with the world's top universities such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford or Cambridge unless students and staff have the 'cutting edge' where they are capable of taking part in debates with foreign experts in their respective fields.
"In order to do that effectively, we have to master English, which is the current international and learning language," he stressed.
Stubborn people
Mahathir added that most of the information regarding Science, Mathematics and technology are written in English, and therefore it is impossible for Malaysians to acquire them unless they are proficient in it.
He added that it is almost impossible to translate thousands of books and journals in Science and Mathematics which are written in English.
"We can only create our own terms in these two fields if the discovery is being made by our people, but they too must first understand English," he said.
The 76-year-old premier also reiterated his criticism against those who have opposed the language switch which will be implemented in stages beginning next year.
He said a foreign language will not change the identity of any race and that the government's tolerance in allowing vernacular schools has not contributed to racial integration.
"These stubborn people simply put behind the national interest and this will destroy peace and harmony in this country," he stressed.
The government's proposal to teach Science and Mathematics in English was met with strong protest from various educationist movements, of which Chinese groups were the most vocal.
These groups said that while English must be improved, teaching the two subjects in the language will not improve proficiency of the language among the students.
They urged the government to find other alternatives in addressing the decline.
On Saturday, Mahathir had warned certain 'extremist groups' not to "play with fire" and the next day Deputy Home Affairs Minister Zainal Abidin Zin warned that the Internal Security Act will be used against those who are trying to turn the issue into a racial one.
Mahathir, when asked if an investigation would be initiated against these 'extremist groups' at a press conference later, said the government knows how to deal with the problem.
He said the issue was "not political" and not intended to undermine the culture or identity of any ethnic group.
"Now, obviously we have to accept English whether we like it or not.
"I am quite sure that the French don't like it, but (now) they have to learn English. The Japanese and Chinese are also learning English," said the premier.
Asked whether the implementation of the policy will be delayed due to the absence of full-commitment from BN Chinese component parties, Mahathir replied: "We have solved worse problems before."
On PAS acting president Abdul Hadi Awang's comment that the BN government was trying to implement an important policy in a hurry, the premier said the opposition has never agreed with the government and always politicised the issue even when the intention behind it is good.
Personal statement
Meanwhile, MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik described the deputy home minister's warning as a "personal statement".
Ling, when met later, said the Chinese-based component parties in the BN are still studying the issue and in the process of collecting information from experts to learn about the impact of the policy on Chinese primary schools.
He said the parties, namely MCA, Gerakan and SUPP, will be meeting after making enough groundwork studies to give their feedback to the government.
However, he refused to say whether a time frame has been set for the meeting.
Last Wednesday, Education Minister Musa Mohamed said the government will not discuss the issue at the cabinet meeting unless the BN Chinese component parties are prepared to discuss about it.
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