44 Tan Yao Sua and R. Santhiram
Malay elites who are pragmatic enough not to be overwhelmed by Malay
linguistic nationalism that has underpinned the educational language
policy of the country since independence. Instead, they recognized the
need for the Malays to strengthen their proficiency in English to enhance
their global competitiveness. More importantly, they felt that such a move
would not jeopardize the well-entrenched position of the Malay language
within the country. Apart from this newfound pragmatism, their advocacy
of a wider use of English was also influenced by their ethos as elites of the
society. As Halim Salleh puts it, “English is regarded as the language of the
successful, modern, urban and educated wealthy class” (2000, p. 159). The
UMNO political elites certainly come under this category of social class.
The radical change of educational language policy in Malaysia began
in 1993 following the announcement by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then
Prime Minister of Malaysia, that public institutions of higher learning that
used Malay as the main medium of instruction would be allowed to use
English to teach courses related to science and technology (Ambigapathy
2001). Subsequently, some public institutions of higher learning took the
decision to allow more courses to be taught in the English medium of
instruction. Even Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) or the National
University of Malaysia, which was established in the 1970s to promote a
greater use of Malay at the tertiary level, opted for this decision. Its Vice-
Chancellor was reported to have said that UKM aspired to conduct 50 per
cent of its courses in English (New Straits Times, 28 March 2002, cited in
Gill 2002, p. 120). It was also reported that Universiti Pendidikan Sultan
Idris (UPSI) or the Sultan Idris Teaching University intended to conduct
30–40 per cent of its courses in English (New Sunday Times, 16 September
2007). Apparently, all these measures were aimed at improving the English
proficiency of Malaysian students.
The position of English in the Malaysian educational system was further
consolidated when the government enacted several Acts in 1996 to spur
the development of private higher education that used English as the main
medium of instruction. First, the 1996 Education Bill, which recognized
private education as an integral part of the national educational system.
Section 143 of the Bill empowers the Minster of Education to approve
the establishment of educational institutions that use other languages as
media of instruction (MDC Legal Advisers 2005). Second, the 1996 National
Council on Higher Education Bill, which put in place a single governing
body to oversee both the public and private institutions of higher learning