This letter carries 253 names of parents in Kelantan who truly love this country and who definitely do not want the PPSMI abolished.

We urge the Government not to bow down to unscrupulous political groups who are against efforts to better educate and prepare our children for the working world. These anti-PPSMI groups are made up of the same narrow minded people who take to the streets to ram their opinions down the throats of others.

If they are fighters and defenders of the Bahasa Malaysia language, they should listen to common citizens like us who want Malays and Malaysians to become a more knowledgeable people. During the 1998 financial crisis, the Government conducted a study which found that the most affected community with the highest rate of unemployment was the Malay community. The main reason for this was the fact that most Malay graduates did not have a strong second language.

While the Chinese had Mandarin and the Indians were generally well versed in English, Malay graduates only had Bahasa Malaysia to fall back on. This made them less marketable expecially during that crisis. As a result of these findings, the Government decided to introduce and finance short term English courses for the unemployed. It was through these courses that many unemployed young graduates at the time, were able to improve their employment opportunities. Many were unable to attend the courses due to the limited spaces available. But the awareness that English was so important then was reflected in the fact that many were even willing to pay through their own pockets to attend the courses.

Now, we are facing an even bigger crisis. We will have to take all effort to equip ourselves with the necessary skills and knowledge in order to continue remaining relevant. Without a sound command of the English language, our graduates will definitely fall even further behind. Is this what these so-called Pejuang Bahasa dan Bangsa want for our future generation? Who are the true Malay patriots here?