Standard English has long been the unquestioned choice of a model for all language instruction, whether in native or non-native speaker countries. Fanned by the recent interest in new varieties of English, especially those in the Third World, there have been increasing claims that it is best in such English-as-a-Second-Language countries to set up the local variety of English as the target model for those learning the language. This paper focuses on the situation in Malaysia, and examines whether the local variety of English, Malaysian English, can be a viable educational target for teaching English in Malaysia. The paper confines the discussion to written English, to the exclusion of pronunciation and accent, because the answers to questions of models are not necessarily similar for both speech and writing. (JL)