“Stop pretending like it’s unimportant” – Rafizi Ramli Predicts Mandarin Could Overtake English as Top Language
Published 9 hours ago
December 13, 2025
By Azri Azizan
Source: Rafizi Ramli | Facebook
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.
Source: Rafizi Ramli | Facebook
“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.”
Source: Rafizi Ramli | Facebook
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.
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.
Source: Rafizi Ramli | Facebook
“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.”
Source: Rafizi Ramli | Facebook
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.
The other language that resisted the spread of Arabic is Bahasa Hebrew.💪🏼🔯🕎
ReplyDeleteArabic killed off indigenous languages like Coptic (Egypt), Berber/Tamazight (North Africa), and various dialects of Aramaic (Levant/Mesopotamia) after the Islamic conquests, along with older tongues like Punic, becoming the dominant tongue due to religious prestige (Quran), administration, cultural assimilation, and powerful Arab migrations, though some languages like Berber persist in mountainous regions, and Persian & Turkish resisted complete replacement.
Languages Killed:
Coptic: The final stage of ancient Egyptian, spoken in Egypt, largely supplanted by Arabic.
Berber (Tamazight): Prevalent across North Africa, it was pushed to minority status and mountain regions by Arabic, though it survives today.
Aramaic: Various Aramaic dialects were spoken in the Levant and Mesopotamia; Arabic replaced it as the everyday language.
Punic: The language of Carthage, related to Phoenician, spoken in North Africa before the Arab conquests.
African Romance (Latin dialects): Earlier Latin-based languages in Roman North Africa gradually shifted to Arabic after the conquest.
Key Factors in Replacement:
Religious Significance: Arabic became the sacred language of the Quran, forcing conversion and linguistic adoption.
Administrative & Military Power: Arab armies established dominance, making Arabic the language of power and governance.
Cultural Assimilation: People had to adopt Arabic for social and economic advancement.
Tribal Migrations: Large-scale Arab migrations, like the Banu Hilal, spread Arabic and shifted demographics, especially in the Maghreb.
Languages That Resisted:
Persian (Farsi): Retained its distinct identity, though heavily influenced by Arabic vocabulary and script.
Turkish: Remained separate from Arabic even under Ottoman rule.
I sagest Penang Hokkien be taught in schools and the soon-to-be-established DAP university.
ReplyDeletethe soon-to-be-established DAP university??? wakakaka
DeleteDialects must be protected, even strengthened, like Eastern Bully dialects, Tamil, Kelate, Minang, Kadazan, Dusun etc. They provide essential links to culture and history.
ReplyDeleteTamil is NOT a dialect but a language - it's OLDER than even Sanskrit (5000 yrs versus Sanskrit's 3000 yrs)
DeleteI would add Punjabi…..
ReplyDelete