Former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli weighed in on the debate over UEC recognition and shared his insights.
He stated that Malaysia should start preparing to become a trilingual society to keep pace with global developments, where Mandarin is playing an increasingly important role, and Malaysians cannot pretend it is insignificant.
“The world is moving towards the dominance of Mandarin as the language of knowledge and trade, and Malaysia’s younger generation needs to be prepared for this change. The country’s leadership needs to acknowledge that we are entering an era of a trilingual society.”
In his Yang Berhenti Menteri podcast, Rafizi said it is high time for younger generations in Malaysia to master three languages: Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, and English.
He warned that in another 20 years, if Malaysians do not master Mandarin, they will face difficulties because the language will surpass English as the language of knowledge.
“Without mastery of Mandarin, we will be left behind in the next 20 years. This is the reality that needs to be accepted.”
Rafizi described the UEC issue as often used as “political dopamine” by various parties, making rational discussion impossible. He explained that only a small proportion of Chinese students in Malaysia take this exam. Out of 400,000 Chinese students in secondary schools, only about 90,000 take the UEC.
He also predicted that Mandarin would replace English as the new language of knowledge and that China would surpass the United States within 10 to 15 years to become the world’s largest economy and leading power.
“And that’s only about 20%,” said Rafizi
“Around 80 percent of Chinese students still go through the national system, while UEC is just a small stream that provides additional education opportunities in Mandarin.”
Yesterday (12 December), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim responded to the UEC recognition debate, saying that mastery of the national language, Bahasa Melayu, must be prioritised before any efforts to recognise UEC can be carried out.
What do you think of Rafizi Ramli’s take on the matter?
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