Yes. Why? Are you going to argue that C++ and other natively compiled languages are slower than BASIC?
Surely it depends on the *compiler*, not the language. I will argue that equally badly written compilers will compile equally slow code, regardless of the language. The reason C is percieved as a 'fast' language is because for the better part of 20 years, everyone who's written a thesis in compiler design, has done so using C (and more specificly the UNIX cc or GNU gcc) as a point of reference, not because the language is inherintly 'faster'.Oh, and by the way, every modern BASIC I can think of is 'natively compiled'.