COMMENT | Blame the two Rs (race and religion) for the decline in English proficiency, in a slump which did not happen overnight, but had been steadily going downhill for many decades.

Soon after Merdeka, Umno nationalists used the two Rs to brainwash ignorant Malays.

Malaysians who spoke English were labelled “unpatriotic”, and Malays were eager to learn Arabic because the language of the prophet could possibly “fast track” them to heaven.

To address the decline, previous governments brought in teachers from around the globe to teach English in our schools. Did the specially imported teachers from America, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Oman, produce the desired results? Did a crony company benefit from this “import”?

Prime ministers treat the symptoms of the decline but are reluctant to treat both the symptoms and the cause. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is no different.

When his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong came on a state visit to Malaysia, Anwar discussed the possibility of Singaporean teachers coming to Malaysia to teach English and other subjects.

Anwar failed to provide the details of his proposal. Moreover, what would this knee-jerk reaction achieve?