Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah reminded bumiputeras that the English language has become an international language and that failure to master this global currency inevitably locates them among the bottom-ranked in most gauges of socio-economic development.

Speaking today at the convocation ceremony of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in finance, the MP for Gua Musang linked the return of English proficiency among Malaysians, especially bumiputeras, to a rejuvenation of the education system in the country.

Razaleigh said Malaysia's present low ranking in international education indices confirmed what most people knew - that the country has backslid and this decline was signposted by our execrable standards in the language.

"I still remember that at one time we were respected and praised in the international arena," said Razaleigh about past standards in English proficiency.

"At international forums we were often given the task of compiling the overall reports, composing the communiqué, moderating the discussion and the like.

"We were given these tasks because of our relative superiority in ability to think and because of our command of English. Lamentably, this is no longer the case," he said.

Higher institutions to blame, too

Razaleigh said the education system in the country ought to promote the integration of the country's races but the reverse, instead, has transpired, with matters reaching a most worrisome extent.

The 77-year-old Razaleigh recalled his teenaged years when Wong Peng Soon won the All-England badminton titles in 1950 and 1951 and it seemed to him that badminton fans in the country, irrespective of race, basked in the glow of being labelled clones of the master player.

He said existing racial polarisation prevented popular appreciation of individual achievement and worse yet, institutions of higher learning where the educated were supposed to transcend sectarian divisions were instead warped by such phenomena.

He cited the example of South Korea as a country that lagged behind Malaysia in sporting and economic standards until the 1980s before the Koreans, through raised standards in education and economic performance, made up the lag and then overtook Malaysia.

"Our education system has failed to promote national integration, been remiss in generating human capital, and failed at producing people who are principled and value reason," said Razaleigh.

"We must produce a system of education where parents propel their children to compete to obtain places in public schools whose rivalry generates quality," said the former Umno strongman and one-time finance minister.