my english also not good... that why i hang here in this forum with u guys and also at lowyat... suprisingly... i'm already using english when talking to myself (don't think i'm crazy coz talking to myself)... errr... sorry aa TungstenBoy... i think the "concentrate on bahasa" that u refer was not Dr. M idea... its the idea of the guy who currently in prison... no need to tell... u know who that guy right... after his gone... all that bahasa baku and the idea of memartabatkan bahasa melayu also hardly heard... recently i also heard that DBP already stop translating computer terms to malay language... well... everybody knows most computer terms sound stupid when translated to malay...
Hmmm... i think what TB meant was who started the Bahasa Melayu used to teach thing. If that is the case, then Dr. M started it back when he was minister of education. But Dr. Anwar was the one who wanted to emphasize it even more. Bahasa baku, they called it. And the reasoning behind using english to teach math and science, is it really to unite the people of this nation? That's what i'm wondering. Cos language alone will not be enough to unite the people of a nation. All they share is a same language, which doesn't necessarily translate into shared experience. To tackle this unity problem, there has to be something more than just a common language, be it Malay or English. And that something which is needed, a common allegiance among malaysians towards our country, is what they're trying to do thru NS. But then, i'm in doubt whether 3 months of camping and lectures will do any different to our youths. eek. how come talk about unity pulak???
Good point, fuzzy. Shame on you, TB Anyway, I realise that, for me, speaking in the 'Malaysian slang' seems more comfortable for me... Maybe cause I'm used to it.... And on using Bahasa Melayu as the main language, it was Dr. M's idea. Supposedly to unite the races. IMHO, if he really wants to do that, he should abolish the Chinese and Tamil schools, but then the respective communities will disagree. So does the BM-thing works? I think it doesn't. It's just an excuse to give the Malays more comfort that their race is more dominant in Malaysia. (FYI, I found these information while researching on the May 13th incident... And believe it or not, government practices since the tragedy, which is supposed to unite the races, have instead raised the racism level of M'sians to a certain level. It's just that everything's been kept quiet - so-called 'sensitive issue'... But that's another topic altogether )
Aye, I don't see what's the point of complaining, because the last time I check, my english was good enough. Simply a matter of choice and situation. Well, that's democracy. If he abolishes Chinese and Tamil schools, he'll not only be criticise as authoritian ruler, but also lose alot of popular votes. We can speak Malay, Chinese, English and even some Tamil while in Singapore, some chinese has no clue about Mandarin. Word for word, we're even more adaptable then they are, but I do conceit that our standard of education is still lagging behind. The BM thing was what it was, it's our national language and I supposed you give and take things. Singapore split up from us and have the chance to set up their culture again, which Lee Kuan Yew decided that English will be their main language. Maybe being English educated and a brilliant leader gave him the edge, but remember Malay could have easily overtaken English as the main communication tool (and English is losing out other languages in recent studies). And sadly to say, Malay are the dominant race in our country. They might not be the better or whatever (subjectical (it there's such word)) but they have ruled since well, before M'sia and I do think by the way it goes, we're far more fortunate than say, any Arab countries that are built on the same muslim history as us in terms of choices to practice custom, religion and the way we life.
Speaking of racism, i think education level is one of the issue too. Sometimes even chinese can split into different groups. For example in my school, most of the students in the best class(yeah, they have very good results) "look down" to other classes, such as my class (i'm in the second best class in my school). So when they look at malays, for example, they will "look down" at them even worst. Only few malays in my school is in better science class and most of them are girls. The majority in better classes are chinese. i'm not saying that malays are this or that , this is the truth, this is what happens in my school. Please forgive my lousy english
yahhhhhhhhhh.........agree now larrrrr........but danger is alwiz there coz the constitution dun protect us wat...........like adrian say.......the constitution say like we all still immigrants..........if the malays suddenly wan 100% islamic country..........we all in trouble alredi........coz we dun have rights as bumiputra citizens........
speaking of education... this was wat i heard at a talk held in my college... it has nothing to do with racism, but could be somehow linked to it... in terms of form of education required... During Q & A session (the talk is about violence against women/children) Q: How do you think the young should be educated to ensure that the occurence of such incidents will decreas? A: Actually, the problem lies not with the young. There is no need for too much effort in that area. What is problematic is actually the older generation. They are the ones who require reeducation as in most violence cases, it is the older generation who commit such crimes. (By older i think she meant 30++) Is there such a parallel in reference to the racism issue?
Huh? The young do not need to be educated??? That's nuts! Respect for women and children AND other races should be taught as early as possible!
haiya... she didn't say NO NEED TO EDUCATE THE YOUNG.... all she said was... it is the older generation who need MORE education, cos the ones committing these violence crimes are majority the older generation.
I think it can be understand in another context. Although our younger generations are well educated, nothing beats older role models (their parents/grandparents). So educating the young isn't enough and older generations do need to be educated up to today's standards. Take a look around, there are still aunty and uncles (grandparents) who can't speak english. As for respect for women, the younger generations are thought to RESPECT but it would be useless if they see their fathers beating up their mothers. (Playing Jay Chow -Ba.. wo hui lai le ) Of course, we could continue the finger pointing game. But we should just start from ourselves and do what we think is right.
u all think dat older ppl more racist??????...........i feel dat younger ppl more racist larrrrr.............my grandfather got so many malay & indian frens...........but see we all........who got many different races as frens??????
Well, we can't really generalize like that. To be frank, the older generations in my father's family are more "racist" in a way. My grandfather, hmm.. he doesn't mingle much with other races so I guess that could be a factor. Can't blame them as for my father had to do his Form 6 in Tar KL as my home town school couldn't go in due to the cursed quota system. He qualified better than most of them but yet have to get out in order to study because he ain't *special*.
from my point of view, actually its the same, the amount of racist of the older generation is the same with the younger generation, heck, there is people like in the younger generation is playying with malays and indians or watever colours or races wat... same with older generation even though they threat each other cruely during the times back where there is war.. hahah !
mebbe it is related 2 the richness of the family............i see dat rich kids less racist than poor kids...........izzit true in ur place??????????
dr. m once said, we can never eliminate racial differences, but we can eliminate economic differences. still waiting when it will comes true...
Well, there is no doubt Malaysia is a LOT richer now than in the past. But the poor are still poor. Only the rich are getting richer. I think the emphasis on the new government should be to improve the livelihood of the poor. There are many ways they can do this but one important area the government should concentrate would be education. Poverty can be eradicated in the future by educating the poor and allowing them to grow beyond their economic status. Of course, education also helps reduce racism. Not to mention the improved economic status as well. When times are bad, some politicians have the tendency to look for a scrapegoat to distract voters. Minority races are always a favourite target. But if the government can ensure better education and economic opportunities for the poor, the people will not so easily believe in such drivel. Don't forget, people are people, no matter what race they are. If they are rich, you can bet your money they worked hard for it. No one gets to where they are by being lazy or stupid. But when times are bad, it's easy to blame another race for taking away our jobs, our women, etc. when all it boils down to is our own laziness or lack of initiative.
There's an interesting debate going on at MalaysiaKini. A reader by the name of Bluerider insist on keeping the special rights as he said that Bumis will always feel second class to Non-bumis despite being given special treatment. Post at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200404060036623.php At the same time, another Malay by the name of Azizi rebutted back at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200404070036628.php saying that rights are to be benefit the poor but unfortunately it is abused by wealthy bumis. The rights are there for a purpose but it is sad to see the rich benefiting it more than the needy. One good example was education. A rich bumi used a scholarship and after finishing his studies, he broke the bond then pay using his own money (scholarship treated as interest free loan) and that deprieved another bumi student of needy scholarship.
I can't believe an ENTIRE race can be afflicted with inferiority complex. I think I agree more with Azizi. We have to start looking beyond RACE and help those who truly need help - the poor. I don't understand why Bluerider thinks that the Malays will always feel inferior to other races. All races have their share of geniuses, fools and crooks. Being born into a particular race doesn't make you any superior or inferior, compared to others born into another race.
These benefits are very much abused by the rich. Some of my very well ofd classmates used their parent's politcal contacts to get scholarships. And then ppl like my cousin whom is in UiTM whom got 4.0 flat CGPA and NEVER got a scholarship or sponsor. Her dad brings in RM10 a day working at a 'pasar pagi'. My parents ended up sponsoring her. My cuz was lucky. But how many can be as lucky as her? A few old classmates of mine, whom were doing quite well in my course had to quit studying coz they were too poor to study and no loan or scholarship was given even though they exceeded the requirements. Other classmates however, whose parents are big shots (no offence to rich ppl) however, got loans and scholarships. I pity them. But that's how it is. Until the older generation is replaced by the younger 'new world' ppl. This will continue to happen. I'd say when we are older, things will change, coz they no longer have the traditional old world thinking. I'm from a Malay Chinese mixed family. During chinese new year, the house has maly, chinese and indian celebrating together (my mom's side). So, I have no racism feelings. A lot of my friends are chinese, but I have no problem mixing with anyone regardless of race, gender or age. I see everyone as equal.
