KUALA LUMPUR: Mastering the English language is a prerequisite for competing against the best in the world, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
Najib said Malaysians must develop a good command of English if they want to succeed in a highly globalised and competitive job market.
"We cannot be emotional or feel that we don't need to learn English."
"If we say we don't want to be 'jaguh kampung' and want to succeed on an international level, we need English."
"We need English to move ahead and compete against the best in the world," he said at the Skim Latihan 1Malaysia (SL1M) programme here.
Najib's comments came following concerns over falling standards of English proficiency among Malaysian graduates.
The Malaysian Medical Association recently revealed some 1,000 medical trainees failed to become doctors due to their poor command of English.