(July 21): Malaysia should make proficiency in the English language a top priority, prominent banker and brother of the prime minister, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, said today.

In a post on Instagram, the CIMB Group chairman said English proficiency in Malaysia had deteriorated and was an "edge" which the local workforce had lost.

His remarks were posted along with a photo and the headline of a news report on plans by Japanese car maker Honda to make English its official language.

Giving English more emphasis, however, did not have to come at the expense of the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, he said.

"English is the global language and as a nation we should declare English language proficiency as our top priority.

"It's a traditional edge that our workforce is losing fast; we must reverse the deterioration now. (And no,  it does not mean we have to neglect bahasa!)," Nazir said.

The prime minister's younger brother has been voicing his thoughts openly on a few issues recently, including on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) of which Datuk Seri Najib Razak is chairman of the advisory board.

1MDB, which is being investigated for alleged graft, is also owned by the Finance Ministry, and Najib is finance minister.

Nazir had previously called for better accountability by 1MDB's top officials and for Putrajaya to hasten the audit of the investment firm's 2015 accounts.

On other topics, the banker recently said racism should be made illegal following fights at Low Yat  Plaza in Kuala Lumpur more than a week ago, which stemmed from a handphone theft that was  racialised on social media.

The Honda report Nazir highlighted said the auto maker planned to switch its corporate language to English from Japanese by 2020 in line with its position as a global company.

This will involve all senior executives proving their proficiency in English, preparation of internal documents in the language and lessons for employees.

Honda will become the first Japanese car maker to do so but not the first Japanese company – the report mentions Uniqlo, Rakuten and Fast Retailing – as others which have already made the switch.

While English is widely spoken in Malaysia, there has been concern about its declining standards, with educationists and employers observing that even graduates are unable to use the language proficiently.

There is also ongoing debate on making English the medium of instruction in schools, or at least allowing the return of English-medium schools as an option alongside Malay-language government schools. – The Malaysian Insider