The Vision School issue raised strong echoes of protest among Chinese nationwide. The Chinese Community vehemently opposes the Vision School project, fearing that the identity and character of Chinese primary schools will be changed in the process. Underlining this fear is the suspicion that the government is determined to implement the “ultimate objective” stated in the Education Act 1961 which set the legislative platform to gradually displaced mother tongue education, in this case using Chinese as a medium of instruction in the education system. Chinese education in Malaysia dates back 180 years and is largely funded by the Chinese community from all walks of life. Donations amount to some RM100 million a year, made up of small donations from the general public.

In another development, the 400,000 strong members of Federation of Peninsular Malaysia Malay Students (GPMS), the oldest such organization in the country, wants the return of the English language in the national education system. GPMS wants the revival of English-medium schools, from the pre-school level, to provide a strong foundation for students to master the language. Its president Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim urged the leadership to exercise political will to correct what he calls a “mistake of history.”

Pragmatism is good for all

There is a common thread running through the above two concerns; the anxiety that the competitiveness of Malaysia could further be endangered if a pragmatic language policy is not adopted promptly. 

It is in the interest of all Malaysians to heed the call of these two groups, and to examine closely the implications of our present language policy for the future of Malaysia as a multi cultural community, our place in Asia and the world.

One Language One Heart

Towards a single national language to unify the diverse races is the argument behind the national language policy. In our society’s eagerness to develop and to forge national integration, the government implemented a program in the last two decades to bring Bahasa Melayu, the national language, onto center stage in all aspects of national life; strengthening its position as the official language, the language of government and the courts, and in the process, replaced or replacing English as the key medium of instruction in all institutions of learning, from primary to universities. 

While the national language must be promoted in order to create a common medium for communication among the various racial groups, the enthusiasm in pushing the language into other spheres of national life has brought consequences of serious repercussions on Malaysians’ competitiveness. 

This state of affairs is a subject of great concern and anxiety as Malaysians contemplate their place in the world and how they integrate with the global world of business and knowledge. 

The past language policy, which Datuk Suhaimi called the mistake of history, “caused the national education system to fail in providing appropriate opportunities for students to master the English language.” 

Language as a tool

It is timely that such pragmatism is returning to the thinking of community groups articulated by GPMS. The language of knowledge, the Internet and business in the single global economy is English. Without a doubt, Malaysians will be greatly handicapped if we denied ourselves this important tool that enable us to integrate with the rest of the world. 

The fact that English is still retained as a medium of instruction in some very selected institutions of learning in the country such as the Mara Institute of Technology reflects the appreciation of the language as an effective tool of learning.

One of the key conditions for building the knowledge economy is to put in place an infrastructure to raise the average, those sections of the population with middle and lower skills. We need to provide access, to knowledge and information, and English is the medium and tool that enables such rapid access. 

The admission by GPMS that Bahasa Melayu is inadequate in its function as a language of knowledge, and its limited application in the world should signal a new beginning for the national language. 

On one hand, this liberates the nation from the confines of nationalism and patriotism long defined by language, and legitimizes the role and position of English, and hopefully Mandarin. On the other hand, Bahasa Melayu as a language would not be burdened and rushed to develop to serve the various needs of the country. Lifting the pressure lid, the language could evolve on its natural course as the nation develops. 

How inclusive and what balance should be achieved in considering the language policies of our young nation?

Language proficiency and mastery

While the study and mastery of Bahasa Melayu should be emphasized in the interest of all Malaysians, distinction must be made between basic proficiency and mastery of a language. 

The language policy of the country in the last 50 years had produced a distorted perception of the language abilities of Malaysians. Many visitors envied Malaysians for their multi-lingual skills, and some of us may even rejoiced in it, and taut it as one of the strength of our land. Those of us honest enough to admit knows that this as pure appearance. 

Malaysians in general has some proficiency but lack depth in their language skills. Everyone experiences in various degrees this sorry state of affairs. In a recent trip to Kota Kinabalu, each time the PA system came up, I got a jolt. So I complained to the air stewardess about the PA system being too loud. While I talked, I pointed to the speaker on the roof of the cabin. I repeated the complaint five times to the entire crew serving the cabin, but none of them understood what PA was!

The fact of the matter is, basic proficiency of various languages only get us past the door. It is not an adequate tool to mine the mountains of knowledge or equip us to set sail onto new geographical and intellectual frontiers. 

The ability to think, the depth and breadth of thinking, calls for a certain level of language mastery. If there isn’t an adequate vocabulary, in whatever language the thinker chooses, he or she simply can’t articulate his or her thoughts, explore the interconnection of ideas, participate in dialogues or persuade others of one’s ideas. Period. Put all these in the context of Malaysians going global and trying to find a place in the new economy! 

The national education system should review its medium of instruction policy. For effective acquisition and transmission of knowledge, we advocate review based on language best suited in each specific field. If English serves the teachers and students best in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, medicine, information technology, economics and business, let’s make it the medium of instruction. For other fields, we should allow for choice in the medium of instruction, respecting the students’ other language skills.

Why mother tongue is important?

If we want to nurture Malaysians who can think, we ought to encourage them to gain mastery of at least one language. Whichever that language is, should be left to individual choice and free will. 

Against a specific cultural and environmental backdrop, there exist certain conditions conducive for the learner to easily gain mastery of a particular language. For example, Indians living among Chinese learn to speak Hokkien, Chinese in Kelantan speak excellent Malay and Malays going to neighborhood Chinese schools speak excellent Mandarin. 

Besides national unity, the goal of our education system should be to provide the opportunity for our children to excel in at least one language of their choice so that he or she has an effective tool to acquire knowledge and to think. This tool has important bearing on the child’s competitiveness, hence the nation’s competitiveness.

Cultural DNA and Values

A Language also instills a specific set of values in a culture. The Chinese Community in the country treasures a set of cultural values, which they attribute to their resilience and success. 

To use modern day scientific description, it is widely accepted that there are excellent cultural DNA’s in the Chinese language and culture that are valuable to an individual, family, community and a nation. By virtue of Malaysia’s multicultural character, these values do not belong to the Chinese alone, but to all Malaysians. These are assets of Malaysia, and we should communicate this understanding to all the races. 

In trying to explain the prosperity and performance of cultural groups all over the world, many scholars and thinkers worldwide agrees that culture matters. Cultural values are best planted into the children between ages 7 and 12. Mother tongue primary schools are vehicles for succession of our ethnic cultures, abolishing them is a lose-lose situation for all.

We can therefore appreciate why the Chinese community in the country wants the government to respect their wishes to keep the Chinese primary schools. 

Excel in at least one

A pragmatic language policy in my opinion will look like this:

Allow Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil and other ethnic mother tongues (if there is enough demand) as a medium of instruction in primary schools. It is at this stage of the child’s development, the cultures and values of a particular community group can be best transmitted, hence preserving our multi-ethnicity, along with the blending and mixing in other spheres of life, shapes the multi-cultural character of this nation. 

At the primary school level, Malay and English must also be compulsory subjects so that our children receive early grounding in the language. An early start will enable them to advance the language proficiency easily later on, if they decide to pursue them further. Moreover, an early preparation offers our kids choices as to which language they want to excel in as their preferred tool for advancement.

From secondary school onwards, we should use the language best suited as medium of instruction for particular fields of knowledge, replacing the current practice of using Bahasa Melayu for all subjects.

Act Now

As pointed out by many, the present language policy resulted in problems for one generation, and if we act now, it will take at least 15 to 20 years to train up a generation of teachers proficient in English. Give another 15 to 20 years until a new generation of young people turned up with proficiency, we need at least 40 years!

In this e-speed world, there is no time to lose. As Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim said, we don’t need another debate on the importance of English, and I add, the importance of mother tongue. 

Feedback Welcomed!

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