Our grasp of English stood us high

I REMINISCE over the days when my colleagues and I were envied and respected when we represented our companies in meetings with our foreign principals because of our fluency in English.

People from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand held people from Ma La See Ya in high regard for our command of the language.

At international conferences, the Singaporean and Malaysian representatives were always called upon to speak due to their fluency in English.

I also remember our public figures of all races who spoke the language very well during press conferences.

I wonder whether our young people still command such respect when they make presentations or give speeches in English.

Many parents send their children for studies overseas because they want their children to be proficient in English.

In view of the weak ringgit, many parents are unable to do this now.

We hope the Federal Government would emulate Sarawak in making English an official language to show its importance among the population.

The availability of good reading materials is also very important in helping people to learn English.

In cities like Sydney in Australia, there are libraries in many places, including residential areas.

Where my son is living, there is a large library which has a huge variety of books, magazines and CDs about 3km from his apartment. There is another smaller library half a kilometre from his apartment which also has a good selection of magazines and a small collection of books.

I also hope our national television networks will feature good English movies and documentaries.

In the 1950s and 60s, many of us from non-English speaking families learned the language by watching English movies.

I really hope people from Ma La See Ya will regain their proficiency in English and be envied and respected again just as we were back then. THOMAS FOO Subang Jaya