Thursday, November 13, 2008

ON EDUCATION: MULTI-LINGUALISM AND INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS

FROM RACIAL COALITION AND CO-EXISTENCE TO INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS: THE NEED FOR MULTI-LINGUALISM IN EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

By
Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar


An engineer by training, and not as a social-scientist, the writer nonetheless has been an observer of numerous socio-politico-economic phenomena in general, and the relations among humankinds in particular. As a parent, he has been observing how all his five children, who happened to have been registered and educated in Catholic-run schools the like of the Assunta and La Salle, have grown nicely into adulthood. The youngest in particular has a number of close friends, about two-thirds of them are non-Malays, with names like Zher Peen, Christine, Lee Sha, Su Ying, Elaine, Melissa, Kesh, Valerie and Vicky. Such a close friendship and relationship among them is partly made possible by the fact that the first word out of one another’s mouth, more often than not, is in English. The ability to communicate effectively in a common language helps reduce any mistrust, misgivings and misunderstandings brought upon by differences in one’s religion, race, creed and colour.

On reflection, over the last 51 years since Independence, race relations in Malaysia have not fundamentally changed. Really! The writer, for instance, was first enrolled in 1957 in a rural Malay school, and despite having scored Grade “A” in the examination to enter a secondary school, ended up by choice, not in an English-stream all-Malay residential school in Ipoh, but in the nearest Malay-medium secondary school within the premise of an English-medium secondary in Melaka, and later in the full-fledged Malay-medium residential school in Kuala Lumpur. The writer’s school mates were not all Malays: they were Anthony s/o Michael, Echot (a Siamese), A. Kulasingam, Tey Boon Hwa, and many others. These non-Malays had been enrolled into the full residential school because of their meritocracy in all subjects in Bahasa Malaysia equal to, if not more than, others. They happened to have come from Malay-medium lower secondary schools in the fringe of rural-urban areas. The lingua-franca of the said residential school is none other than “Bahasa Malaysia”. English is nonetheless taught, but as a subject.

Thus, the only difference between the two generations is the language used for the first word out of one’s mouth!

The logical extension of such a life-time experience and perhaps of others too, is that it is high time for Malaysia to re-visit its general Policies, particularly those relating to national unity, nation-building, national education, and communication. The writer too is looking forward to the introduction of (1+3) language formula to all schools, irrespective of its type or its geographical setting: 1. Bahasa Malaysia (Melayu); 2. English; 3. Mandarin; and 4. Either Arabic, Tamil, Hindi, or any other language of the United Nations (other than Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin) and English, that is French, Russian, or Spanish).

Irrespective of the type of school, one goes to, the present and future generations of Malaysia will master not only the first two languages: one is basic for nation-building, and another for economic-competitiveness and general affairs, but also shall be able to communicate among them quite easily in Mandarin, or in Arabic among fellow Muslims, for instance, when it comes to their own religious matters and family affairs.

The lack of knowledge and skills in Arabic has been “troubling” Malay-Muslims in particular, especially those who did not have the benefits of special tuitions in Arabic or opportunities to have been enrolled in religious schools. Their appreciation of Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism has been limited by their access to limited secondary sources, even in Bahasa Malaysia; and whatever could be gathered by having attended or listening to regular “ceramah” and “takzirah”.

The introduction of multi-lingualism in schools would “democratize” the access of all young Malaysians to the important languages of the world. Otherwise, the privileged few would continue to command not only their own mother-tongue, but the “tongues” and “ears” of others.

Could a parallel be drawn between this pressing need and that of President John Kennedy’s vision to put the first man on the Moon, one might recall the commentary made by CBS TV anchor, the late Walter Cronkite, when the US Astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong (said to be a fellow Muslim?) set foot on the Moon from the lunar module Eagle of Appollo 11 on 20 July 1969:

“That’s one small step forward for a man, another giant leap of mankind.” Not any mankind, but humankind!

The question is whether to be, not to be, humane.

InsyaAllah!


Subang Jaya
10 October 2008

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