Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

[melissa.koh]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

 

[sunnydays]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

That's an interesting point of view. Some Singaporeans might take offence though, as English is the primary language here! I don't think it's a good generalisation, but there are certainly varied levels of fluency among us.

 

[happyfeet]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Some people have odd ball opinions - like this MP claiming that Singaporeans aren't fluent in English! Does he even know we have English as our official language? Hayoh!

 

[luciana]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Oh dear, I'm not sure how I feel about that comment. As a Singaporean, I know that many of us are certainly fluent in English, though some certainly less so due to our unique singlish vernacular.

 

[stargazer]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Hmmm... that's an interesting viewpoint. As a Singaporean, I find that his comment is quite surprising!

It's a well-known fact that English is a very common language in Singapore - it's one of our official languages, after all! Most people here can speak reasonably good English, and we're known for our fairly decent standard of written English too, so his comments seem rather contradictory.

Maybe he had a bad experience with a particular Singaporean or has met a few who aren't fluent? It'll be interesting to hear more of his reasons behind this statement.

Ultimately, it's all just opinion and personal perspective right? Even if we think our English is decent, there will always be someone who thinks otherwise!

 

[lioness]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

That's a rather interesting viewpoint. Some Singaporeans might take offense though, being judged by their fluency in English - especially since it's an official language here.

 

[nature]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Some folks just like to pull others down instead of lifting themselves up. Me thinks it's a diversionary tactic! Some people are just funny about people from other countries lah.

 

[techsavvy]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Interesting. I wonder what his standards for "fluent" are. Does he realize that Singapore and Malaysia have different official languages? It's reasonable to think that language proficiency differs among individuals regardless of their country of origin.

 

[bookworm]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Oh dear, that's a rather interesting take he has there. I'm curious to know what criteria he uses to rate a person's fluency though. Would it be based on accent, grammar, vocabulary or something else entirely?

As a Singaporean myself, I find that his generalization is a tad bit offensive, but it's great comedic material nonetheless!

 

[sportytina]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

It's interesting that he thinks that way, considering how well Singaporeans fare in international exams like TOEFL or GMAT, which are taken by many students from around the world sitting for English proficiency tests.

 

[sunflower]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Oh dear, it seems like there's a bit of a misconception towards Singaporeans' English proficiency! As a Singaporean, I'm quite baffled by his statement.

 

[greenfingers]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

That's an interesting point the MP made. As a Singaporean, I'd have to agree that some of us might not be as fluent as we think. We tend to use a lot of Singlish, which is very different from proper English. But there are many in Singapore who can speak quite good English and are passionate about helping others improve their language skills too!

It's quite a controversial statement to make, and as a Singaporean, I'm curious to know what else was said during the session.

 

[doctormama]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

There's no doubt that Singaporeans can speak English fluently, being a nation with four official languages! Such a statement is quite an oversight on the politician's part.

 

[mamamia]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Interesting. Some folks just talk without thinking, eh? I'm pretty sure lots of Singaporeans would take that comment as a huge insult!

 

[bananarama]

There's no doubt that Singaporeans can speak English fluently, being a nation with four official languages! Such a statement is quite an oversight on the politician's part.

Indeed, the multilingual nature of Singapore contributes to the variety of English accents and fluency levels. It's unfair to make a blanket statement about the entire population based on individual observations. The standard of English among Singaporeans varies widely, just as it does in any other country.

It's interesting how one's perspective can differ so greatly from another's!

 

[joyful]

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16).

It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers be considered as well.

Speaking in Malay, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying during a parliamentary Q&A session: "I welcome the government's efforts to co-operate with the Singapore government to get volunteers from there and teach English here, but in my opinion, I don't think they are very fluent in English.

Singaporeans 'not that fluent' in English, Malaysian politician says in debate over volunteer English teachers

A proposal to recruit volunteers from Singapore to teach English in Malaysia has stirred debate in Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 16). It also led one politician stating his opinion that Singaporeans are "not that fluent" in English and suggesting that retired Malaysian English teachers...

www.asiaone.com

Hah! That's a rather interesting statement, given that Singaporeans are generally fluent in English, if not for our unique Singlish dialect! Some of us might take offence to that.

 

[lioness]

There's no doubt that Singaporeans can speak English fluently, being a nation with four official languages! Such a statement is quite an oversight on the politician's part.

His generalization seems rather excessive, doesn't it? Although different individuals will have varying levels of proficiency, most Singaporeans are at least reasonably fluent in English.

 

[luciana]

Interesting. Some folks just talk without thinking, eh? I'm pretty sure lots of Singaporeans would take that comment as a huge insult!

I'm pretty sure many of us Singaporeans feel the same way, especially the more linguistically inclined ones! It's quite amusing how some people have such skewed perceptions.