Incoherent Ramblings
Well said!
Try listening to this song: Avenue Q - Everyone's a Little Bit Racist.
I think it's a pretty good compromise for our ever expanding multicultural society.
Kudos to a good write up. Would like to add/dispute a few points that you've got there.
True that China is up and coming as an International power, but the Chinese language is not. In fact, it will lag behind if not never come close to its significance of the English language. Why? The simple explanation being that the Chinese Government is pushing its people to learn English. Why on earth are Malaysians still insisting on their kids to learn Chinese when we have excellent environment to master the English language. Note that in our lifetime, well...at least in mine, I'm quite confident that English will still dominate and despite the Chinese language having increased influence over the years, it will probably be still of an insignificant amount where by one would require to speak Chinese in order to get along with their everyday lives.
One can learn a language in a short time relative to its rise to becoming an influential means of communication (i.e.: it'll probably take decades for a language to become significant in the world, but only years for a person to learn/master it). So why the panic and mad rush to send your kids to Chinese schools?
I give thanks to my dad(Chinese educated) for not sending me to Chinese school - despite that's what my grandfather wanted. As I realize now, being fluent in the Chinese language comes at the expense of the command on another language (in most Malaysian's case would be English). Although this may not be the case for all as I have friends who could speak, read, and write exceptionally well in Chinese and English. However, these are what I deem as special cases. I wouldn't know if I would be able to pull it off, but most people aren't able to. Studying abroad has only deepened my appreciation towards the power of the English language, and I also discovered that only a handful of Malaysian students are able to converse fluently in English despite studying in an English-speaking foreign country for several years. What boggles my mind further is that these students refuse (or maybe they're just shy) to step out of their comfort zone to mix around with the native English speaking locals and take advantage of the situation to improve on their English language skills. They very much rather mingle amongst themselves (Malaysians and other Chinese speaking students) and converse in their native language. Until today, I have never been able to understand their logic behind such actions.
In my opinion, the vernacular schools are a means to further promote racial profiling - which inevitably leads to racism. They should have been abolished decades ago. The only schooling systems in Malaysia should be the Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan and the Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan. Bring back "Bahasa Malaysia". Why in the world did they switch it back to "Bahasa Melayu"? Bring back "Bahasa Jiwa Kebangsaan". Bring back "Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara". Whatever happened to all the nation building slogans that we
Starranise - thanks for dropping by! will google for that song now.
Yish - good comments. You're right about english and mandarin. My reason that i said mandarin will be a major advantage is because china is opening up their policy. Everyone wants to go to China for now. So, learning the language, as how the China government wants them to learn English is a good start. Imagine you struggling to speak in mandarin and the chinaman replies in english and vice versa!
I'm glad my parents didn't send me to chinese school as well. Infact, my sisters and me were the first to be sent to national school. Yes, i might not be able to read or write in chinese, but that doesn't make me forget my roots a single bit and i'm still a Malaysian first, chinese second!
I heard about the horror stories of malaysian students studying overseas which can't even speak proper english. Such a shame, no? It doesn't help if they create their own Kampung overseas as well and refuse to mix with the international crowd! I guess when they do that, they are actually comforting themselves so they feel at home. Does that answer your question on why they do that?
Now that you say that the vernacular schools are the one profiling the races, i can't help but agree. It's the pride amongst the race to uphold their so called tradition and teachings. it's the insecurities the minority race has over their own future; which i am still wondering why ever they feel that way!
Maybe i'm too sheltered, too protected . Maybe i'm to some, a traitor to my own race, for not standing up to the vernacular educations system.
Bahasa Malaysia should be upheld. Blame it on one TV station that promoted bahasa baku and hence, prompted the birth of bahasa melayu.
Bring back Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa.
Bring back Satu Bangsa. Satu Negara.
But these slogan will be nothing if the adults like us, choose to be petty and technical over issues such as being surveyed and discussed in everyday's life!
Honestly speaking, do you think all the students in vernacular Chinese schools are looking to go to China? If that's the case, good on them, and good on our beloved country too!
Roots? My roots are well planted in Malaysia. I get people asking me very often "are you Chinese?" and my answer has and always will be "No. I am a Malaysian". My dad often jokes that the Malaysian government should round up all the Malaysians of Chinese descent and ask that very same question "Are you Chinese?". If their answer is "yes", then they should be deported to China. Hehehe.
Ah yes...insecurity. Scary factor ain't it? Maybe that explains the attitude of students abroad too. But hey, if you want to "feel at home", then stay at home. I still don't understand these kids, taking a huge step out into the world into a different country yet they still choose to enclose themselves in their little tempurung. I guess this is beyond my comprehension, but I hope someday I would come to understand this phenomenon.
I don't believe that you're betraying your own race. Then again, what race? Your views most certainly do not portray betrayal to Bangsa Malaysia.
Do not underestimate the power of nation building slogans. The communists have proven the ability of such slogans. As subtle as they may sound, I feel it's critical to give Malaysians a sense of national pride and ONE true identity to associate with. Maybe then...the minorities could do away with their sense of insecurity.
Yish - Just like you, i'm malaysian first, chinese second. You'll be surprise how many of these chinese eds wanted to go to taiwan...i got cousins which goes to vernecular schools that tell me this!
My roots are in malaysia, just like you. I wouldn't trade it for anything else. As for me betraying my own race, i'm speaking from the other point of view. Not my own view. Many are just selfish and want to see what they want to see. It's their right as much as it's my right to say what i want.
Yes ah...so, you suggesting we form a communist party with slogan like Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa? :P
Studying abroad has only deepened my appreciation towards the power of the English language, and I also discovered that only a handful of Malaysian students are able to converse fluently in English despite studying in an English-speaking foreign country for several years.
What yish has mentioned is oh so true. As I've just recently spent 4 years in Australia completing my degree.
And most of the Malaysians there just don't go out and mingle with the other native English speakers; white, aborigines, Italians, Spanish, Lebanese, etc... it is such a melting pot there of cultures. Yet birds of a feather flock together; which of course is natural when being in a foreign country.
But I got out there, join a university club and made friends whom I still keep in contact with till this day. Strangely, I feel disconnected with the Malaysian students as I don't mingle with them as much.
Stupe - I really hope that your cousins and all others alike achieve their dreams. We don't need them in Malaysia to further influence the future generations with their selfish and insecure feelings. Communist party? Haha...you crazy ah? I have no intention in spending a few years at Kem Kamunting under the ISA. Besides, communism is a failure. Extreme idealism doesn't work very well with human nature. In fact, extremism in itself is usually a recipie for destruction.
FayeChan - It's no surprise that you feel detached with other Malaysian students abroad who prefer to mingle amongst themselves. This has been the case for me from day-1 in University. Those students have a very different mind-set from you and I. They may be thinking amoungst themselves that we are snobs who think highly of the locals and want to move up in social standings by hanging out with them, speaking English, and abandoning our own people in a foreign country - "bagai kacang lupa kulit". Come to think of it, it's similar on both sides ain't it? They can't understand the true reason behind my(our?) behavior as I fail to comprehend theirs.
faye - hey, thanks for dropping by from LJ dude.
I never had any experience studying overseas. i hope i'll get to do that one day for my MBA, if that ever happens.
If it didn't i sure hope my kids will be blessed with the oppurtunities to do so.
Just like Yish, you and most of my friends chosed not to mix exclusively with malaysians only. But rahter, have a diversified group of friends from all over the world. It's time for most Malaysian students overseas to know that Bahasa Melayu is not the only language in the world.
Yish - I sure hope most of them would know better too. You know how the vernacular schools is like. Apart from the usual SPM paper, there is the paper from Taiwan system, which, seriously, makes me wonder why it is there in the first place! Most of them can't converse in english fluently and they only speak chinese, which is sad. Me and my sis were almost outcast in the family for being able to converse, write and understand english and bahasa.
as for Comm party, am just joking la, maybe we shuld just set up a biking club called BJB...for Basikal Jiwa Bangsa. can promote BM and at the same time, healthy lifestyle!
hahahah!
When I was in school, many people thought I was Chinese for my fair features. There was once an uncle spoke to me in Cantonese and I just smiled. Then he said to me harshly, "Why can't young chinese like you speak your language?". I told him I was a Malay and he said, "Well you should learn it anyway, you know."
Taz - Very insensitive of the uncle. Case of cover tak cemerlang...insated of scolding you for not being able to speak chinese, he should learn to speak bahasa!
I'm often mistaken as a malay for my dark feature and my fluent BM when i speak in Bahasa...to them I'm Iwan. LOL!
Stupe, I take everything with a pinch of salt. I instilled this racial comradeship in my kids. Now they have a pool of friends from all races.
I also teach them to give festive cards to their friends for CNY, Deepavali and Hari Raya.
Nothing beats the old fashioned way of giving festive cards.
Taz - ur right, the same way i see that is't a compliment that they give me "salam" when they answer my call...
i shalt do all i can to ensure my kids will do the same!
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