The issue of science and mathematics was a total bolt out of the blue - there was no debates or concerns that built itself up to culminate in the radical move to change and even challenge the present constitutional position of the Malay language.

As an academic and a person very much concerned about nation-building, I wish to offer my perspective about the so-called ‘English proficiency problem’ and the language switch concerning science and mathematics. I wish to make three points very clear in this article.