The Higher Education Ministry in Malaysia has called on universities in that country to put more importance on English courses in order to enhance their graduates' employment prospects. This has angered some Malaysian students, however, who have taken it as a move to sideline Bahasa Malaysian.
The students have submitted a memorandum to the Academy of Malay Studies (AMS) vice-chancellor demanding an apology for his recent speech in which he criticized the state of English instruction at local universities, particularly at AMS. As it turns out, AMS students have the lowest graduate employment rate in comparison with all other schools, as measured at six months after graduation. Some students have posted nasty comments on YouTube about the vice-chancellor for his comments, calling him biadap (recalcitrant) and khianat (traitor). But he is sticking to his guns, prepared to clarify his stance on the matter but not to apologize.