What Tun M would have done...
If Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was still calling the shots today, the former prime minister would have ensured the decision to teach Science and Mathematics in the English language at schools was not reversed.
During a question-and-answer session after a public lecture this morning, a participant posed the million-dollar question to the former premier: "What is the one thing you would do if you could go back in time when you first became PM?"
He answered: "In order for a nation to progress, one must master the English language. That is why I proposed for science and mathematics to be taught in English.
"Science and maths is different from subjects like geography or history. In geography, no matter what language it is taught, the landscape of a country will never change. The mountains in England or Malaysia will always be there and not simply crumble.
"However, the knowledge of science and mathematics changes all the time. People conduct research and information is updated daily.
"This new knowledge is not coming to us in our own language. It comes to us in English, the language of knowledge. So, whether you like it or not, you have to master it."
"We can translate information to Malay, but it takes a lot of time. It will be easier for us to grasp it if we master English."
The present government had reverted the teaching of the two school subjects to Bahasa Malaysia after receiving much flak and criticism, particularly by Malay language nationalists.
But Dr Mahathir said it was not unpatriotic if a Malaysian masters English. "In fact, you are more patriotic, because your desire to gain knowledge to help your nation's progress, and you master another language to achieve that."
He added: "It is easy to be a language nationalist, but useless if you only only understand one language."
The former premier was invited by Open University Malaysia to present a public lecture at the launch of their latest learning module, e-Learning Innovations - The Malay Mail
Dr Mahathir's lecture was entitled "Impact of Technology on the Future of Higher Education", in which the veteran politician spoke about how technology played a big role in education.
"Technology has made it easier for everyone to gain knowledge. Now, one can easily access knowledge quickly with a computer, compared with many years ago."