Tag: vernacular

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Dysfunctional Linguists

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi delivering his speech at the 71st UNGA in New York - photo courtesy of BERNAMA
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi delivering his speech at the 71st UNGA in New York – photo courtesy of BERNAMA

I admit I cringed when Zahid Hamidi delivered his speech at the 71st UNGA in New York yesterday.  My wife and cousins were in fits.  This wasn’t the first time that I cringed when a Malaysian stood in front of an international audience delivering a speech or presentation with a poor command of the English language.  The first was the late Tun Ghafar Baba who also delivered a speech on behalf of the government also at the UNGA 27 years ago next month talking about the Antarctic Treaty System.  In various oil and gas meetings and conferences, I had to endure speeches delivered by Malaysians and cringed everytime they burst out in a self-made English-sounding slang to accompany their already poor command of the English language.  Definitely Zahid et al need to brush up their command of the English language.  However, there have been meetings and conferences that I have attended where even non-Malaysian speakers struggle with their English-language presentations and discussions.  It is not just Malaysians who have this problem.

Most of those who criticise Zahid are those who still use ‘CONGRATES’ and/or ‘STUCKED.’  And many cannot even converse in Bahasa Malaysia despite having Malaysian birth certificate and identity card. Zahid could of course speak in Bahasa Malaysia, Javanese, a Chinese dialect (his foster father is a Chinese) and as we know now, some English.  My only complain is of the quality of some of the English language teachers that we have. I still see some English teachers on social media

Grammar?
Grammar?

We have had two reports on the importance of Bahasa Melayu becoming the National Language published prior to the 13th May tragedy (Razak Report, 1956 and Rahman Talib Report, 1960). The Mahathir Mohamad Cabinet Report (1985) emphasised the importance of Bahasa Melayu as the unifying language for all races in Malaysia.  In fact, Article 152 of the Federal Constitution and the National Language Act 1963/1967 have uphold Bahasa Melayu as the National Language.  The Razak Report pointed out not only should the medium of teaching in schools be in Bahasa Melayu, but also for a uniformed curriculum to be taught at all schools. However, this was not thoroughly implemented. Children still went to schools with different medium of language.  Different languages instill different values; and the use of Bahasa Melayu as a medium of teaching became a serious issue (Abdullah Hassan, 1996: 265).

As an outcome of the 13th May tragedy, political leaders got together and agreed that a single language as a medium of teaching is the way to foster unity amongst the different races of Malaysia.  Tun Datuk Patinggi Hj Abdul Rahman Bin Ya’kub, the Education Minister in 1970 instructed all English-medium schools to use Bahasa Melayu in stages.  Only a few Chinese schools continued to teach lessons in Mandarin (Abdullah Hassan, 1996: 266).

The rift is getting worse now. We have chauvinistic organisations championing the right to teach subjects in the vernacular to their students, while the National Language becomes just one of the subjects. Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Myanmarese now have better command of the National Language than many of the people’s representatives.  Who are we to blame?  So, stop complaining about Zahid. If he can improve his command of the English language, can you improve your Bahasa Malaysia too?

Lest we forget:

Terbulu-bulu
Terbulu-bulu
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Malaysia: Unite The Diverse

My wife and friends celebrating the nation
My wife and friends celebrating the nation

52 years it has been since the time when four parts of this region joined together to form the Federation of Malaysia (although two years later Singapore was expelled). We have seen the nation go through some ups and downs, but we always pull through together. Lately, we only see the constant superfluous jeremiad coming from all sorts of people and I wonder if we have all become a bunch of whiners who prefer to do nothing but expect everything in return?

Up until the early 1980s there were still areas especially in the Peninsular that either did not have running water and electricity, or had electricity for only 12 hours in a day.  Those days no one complained about having to fetch a pail or two of water to be used for cooking or to wash clothes.  Then came the supply of treated water and life became much easier.  Then when there is a disruption on supply, they blame the government for not providing them with water.

We whine about everything – especially about other races.  The Malays would blame the Chinese for their woes; the Chinese blame the Malays for the privileges that the latter get; the Indians would blame everyone else for their misfortunes.  I don’t remember us being this divided even five years after the 13th May tragedy.

I went to a Christian missionary primary school, now a National  school (Sekolah Kebangsaan).  In my class then we had almost the same number of Malay and Chinese students, and several from the Indian diaspora.  We learned together, ate together, played together, got punished together.  What is more important is that we grew up together.

Now, we have National schools that are predominantly Malay, while the Chinese and Indians prefer to send their kids to vernacular schools.  When kids don’t grow up together, they don’t learn about each other. When they don’t learn about each other, that is when they grow up not understanding each other. Then we will always have the Yellow shirts and the Red shirts doing rallies, opposing each other.

This is why I am for the abolishing of vernacular schools. Some were quick to jump on me saying that I am against diversity.

Far from it!

I said, schools. And it is not about diversity, but division!

All schools should be National-type schools. Where children regardless of race and religion grow up together and learn things together.  These schools should start at 8am daily and finish at 6pm.  They study together from 8am until lunch at 1pm. Then they attend vernacular classes or religious classes in the afternoon until 6pm.  They should not grow up separately.

That is all I wish for, unity in diversity, as far as education is concerned.  The beneficiaries of such a change would be my grandchildren and yours.  Only then could we truly be Malaysian.

As long as we are not willing to let our children grow up together, we will continue to remain divided.