Have you ever had so many thoughts whirling in your mind that you just don't know which to focus on? If there is one thing i am extremely poor at, it would be conflict mapping. I understand the issues are they are, Sometimes i am able to decipher what root causes may be, but most of the time, i am clueless to where to focus on in order to solve problems, simply because i get wrapped up in looking for solutions, i literally put myself in a cage in danger of plunging anytime from the third floor. They say, being a web watcher, is more important than being a web weaver, because sometimes when you are watching the web, you can pin point on what the web weaver is doing wrong in the first place..
Though i have many issues swimming in my head now, trying to form bonds to make sense of why i am so affected by many situations that literally have nothing to do with me, the one thought i am most conscious of is the issue of Teaching Maths and Science in English which has recently caused many uproars.
Let me explain the view from the window i am looking at. I never learnt Science or Maths in English when i was in school. During my study period, everything was in Bahasa Melayu and though it made perfect sense, it proved to be detrimental to my education later on. Now mind you, the standard of maths and English was exactly the same as it would have been taught in English right now. However, when i decided to further my studies to A levels. Thats when i plunged hard and below. From SPM to A'Levels, Matriculation, or Foundation studies, the level -of education are worlds apart. Therefore, you cram more information into your brain which has already passed its potential growth stage in a shorter given time. And i had hell when i did my A Levels. The language barrier was not impossible to overcome, but it did set me back a couple of months. In spite of English being my first language at home, it was still difficult to understand terminology and explanations especially in a scientific way. I cannot account for the many many times i lost marks in examinations because of my choice of words, or inaccurate spelling in English. And that was a set back to me, because i wasn't used to being the less "cemerlang" student. For the first time in my life, my self esteem deflated to zero and i had doubts as to how proficient my English was after all.
A few years later, when i heard that Maths and Science were to be taught in English from the start. I was overjoyed. Being a product of the previous system, i realised that if you were to choose institutions of higher learning who teach in english later on, you might as well start from the beginning to help in the transition of different levels of education. Because truth being told, almost ALL our government universities conduct exams in English especially when it is in regards to Science and Maths. Therefore, it only makes perfect sense to start teaching the students from the beginning of it all in the same given medium!
Now, the issue of losing one's identity in the way education is conveyed to the younger generation is suddenly in question. MY QUESTION to the people who are insisting to change the medium of teaching back in Bahasa Malaysia now is, why stop at primary and secondary level? Might as well teach only in Bahasa Malaysia at University levels too? Are they too scared that our graduates might end up as good for nothings should they only be able to converse in Bahasa Malaysia? So if they are truly, TRULY looking for a way to preserve whats left of the Malay culture, then why "acah acah" to advocate a change for only primary and secondary school levels? A bit hypocritical aren't we?
I personally feel that instead of looking for better avenues to help the anak anak Malaysia have a better life, they are truly betraying the younger generation of Malaysia by denying them what's best in life. And to be completely honest, Our national language which has had a name change from Bahasa Melayu to Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu again countless times, does not really serve as a language that Malaysians can identify as a bond between the many races living in harmony. For starters, the connotation of naming the national language Bahasa Melayu itself is an ambiguous underhanded way of instigating racial superiority, lest we should forget who this country truly belongs to. If you look back in history, many oppression of people started by governance trying to unify a race by disallowing ethnic languages. Indonesia and Thailand was one good example, where even their names had to be of the national language regardless of race or religion. I wonder sometimes, what does it take for Malaysians to learn from the repercussions of the mistakes our neighbours had made? In thailand, the major problem is in Patani where there are armed conflict by the Muslim Thais. The story behind this armed conflict started off with language and not religion. Prime Minister Thaksin ordered the Patani people to stop speaking their indigenous language which is Kelantanese Melayu as a start. Later on, the rest of the conflict followed suit. After 30 years, not to many people's knowledge, the Patani conflict is still going strong. Every day,home made bombs are being set off and casualties include death.
I recently met a Malay man from Penang who works in an IPTA. When i complimented him on his good command of English, he immediately defended his race, saying all of them have good command of English, it's just that they don't practise it. I smiled and wondered if he knew i was referring to his pronunciation and articulation of the language, rather than just the written. But i left it as it is. Language is after all a very sensitive topic to discuss among races here in this country.
What is the Malaysian Heritage? Here at the course which I'm attending, foreigners smile and say to me, " Ah you're from Malaysia. Malaysia truly Asia right?" I look at them, and i cannot answer... The road is long to that slogan.. And i am waiting for the day i can nod my head with a smile.
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