Education and the Invasive Species

Bro SatD highlighted to me something interesting a couple of days ago. 

Remember Teeny Weeny? Yup, the cherubic crybaby who threatened to lodge a police report against the Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua grassroots movement started right here in DN. 

Now, this very same Teeny Weeny recently launched (in his capacity as the Deputy Education minister) the Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan Sektor Pendidikan 2012. The catchy tagline for this month-long observance is none other than the SSS's own Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara. Yes folks, the very same motto emblazoned in the SSS logo.

 


This is indeed a fortuitous aberration wrapped in a delicious irony stuck up the ass of Teeny Weeny. So Teeny Weeny, SSS is not going to go away. It would hit you in similar cryptic ways in the time to come.  

Below is the report, in the gutter media no less!

As for the Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara tagline, it occurred to me in a dusty diner on California Highway 41 literally in the middle of nowhere between San Luis Obispo and Fresno not far from James Dean's crash site. I had driven my trusty Hummer H2 (not another Michael Chia gift lah; this beast was bought used for US$35,600 four years ago) up from LA to view some ranch land offered for a song, a distressed asset hard hit by America's real estate meltdown at that time.

Between sips of bad coffee and soggy burrito in a place chock full of people, I observed the American berbagai bangsa tapi satu bahasa phenomenon in action. You see, Americans come in all colours and origins. My Santa Monica zipcode alone has over 120 ethnic/national groups. Malaysian diversity is nothing compared to these parts. But unlike confused Malaysia, these people proudly speak in one language -- English -- although less than a third of Americans have English-speaking ancestors. 

Back to the diner scene, I observed an Asian chap, with Hispanic chick in tow, heartily discussing NFL football with a couple of White guys -- in English of course. Standing in line was a half dozen ethnic-Korean LA high school kids Americanized to their kimchi core trading banter and teenage lingo in perfect San Fernando Valley twang.

My business associate in that trip, Andy (actually Andrei, an immigrant from Belarus) shared with me that intriguing scene of a multicoloured, multicultural huddled mass of humanity interacting proudly and boldly in one language. By his own admission, Andy himself has long foregone his Russian/Belarusian except for the occasional phonecall to Minsk.       

I told Andy, "hey its interesting to see these people, irrespective of colour or creed, communicating clearly and confidently in one language, as one proud patriotic nationality, in one country" - hence, Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara.

 Multiple colours and creeds. 

But one school, one language, one nation.

 

But what do we have back in Malaysia? 

Confusion.

Yes, absolute, unadulterated language and cultural confusion.

And it's going to get worse, people. Much worse.  

Why?

Well, PM Najib Razak's government itself is now a perpetrator of an unconstitutional outrage - the overt approval and recognition of vernacular schools.

You see, where other nations, even the multicoloured, multi-everything USA, have pushed a one school one language agenda for national cohesion, inexplicably the Najib government is now openly encouraging, financially supporting and perpetuating the vernacular school menace in our country. 

No nation on the face of this earth is doing this.

This one act of stupidity, motivated by sheer political expediency, will guarantee Malaysia's socio-linguistic and cultural confusion in perpetuity. 

PM Najib himself recently proclaimed that Malaysia is:-

... the only country outside China which has got Chinese education as part of the national system. We have recognised Chinese education in Malaysia, and I think that is of great significance ... Please see that in this context, we have recognised Chinese education as part of the national system.

Are we Malaysians supposed to be proud of this anomaly, a one-off phenomenon unseen anywhere else on earth?

Why should we?

PM Najib, why do you think our neighbours abolished Chinese schools decades ago? Do you know what Lee Kuan Yew thought of the Chinese educated? Of their inability to carry Singapore's growth agenda, indeed, to ensure survival of the city state itself? I won't elaborate on the Thai and Indonesian actions on Chinese schools as I have mentioned them many times in the past. 

So why should Malaysia, our Tanah Tumpah Darah, be saddled with this one-of-a-kind burden? Another Malaysia Boleh moment? Yet another weird world's first?    

And this is not even constitutional. 

I challenge anyone from both sides of the political divide to rebut that statement. Show us where Chinese and Tamil schools are allowed in the Malaysian constitution. Where taxpayers money can be legally disbursed for these unconstitutional racket. Where UEC certificate holders can be given scholarships underwritten by our tax ringgits.

Ada? 

Mana ada.

Slowly but surely, our constitution is ignored and circumvented to suit ill-fated political adventurism. Many non-Malays and now PM Najib himself don't take our constitution seriously.

And they will do this at their peril.  


On hindsight, fortunately the framers of our constitution were not vote-seeking political desperados. They were thoughtful scholars geared to please neither the stateless pendatangs nor the Malay masses. They had to forge a practical blueprint for nation-building for an eclectic collection of nine petty Sultanates and two colonial enclaves in a turbulent region quivering from the undercurrents of post-colonialism. Malay Rights and Privileges, status of the Malay language, status of Islam, status of the Malay rulers, Malay reserved lands, and the Malay Regiment were all key pillars of this embryonic edifice of nationhood. National cohesion underpinned by a strong, unmistakable Malay essence was the goal, indeed, the key guarantor of the federation's long term tenability.  

But today?

Political desperation has driven PM Najib to commit this constitutional sacrilege. He thought he could buy Chinese votes by dishing out all sorts of extra-constitutional bribes and goodies. In effect, he is trying to out-Chinese the Chinese, by giving something to the detriment of all to get something for the benefit of few.   

Would these myopic giveaways sway the Chinese votes? 

No. Absolutely not.
 
The Indians, having tasted DAP racism and Hindraf implosion, may partly sway to the BN. But not the Chinese. They are hell bent on consolidating their new found political clout in what they perceive as the dawn of a new Malaysia.

No amount of giveaway and sweet talk by Ah Jib Gor (那鸡哥) will change their stand. Indeed, they are even more determined now, having interpreted PM Najib's unprecedented appeasement as a sign of weakness, the manifestation of a stumbling, flailing prey ready for the PRU13 knockout punch.   

Till this day, PM Najib does not understand the inner workings of the Chinese mind. These descendants of the hardy sin kheh respect strength and decisiveness. And they can smell a calculative rat bearing false gifts from a mile away. Unless of course you are Brother Anwar Bin Ibrahim, the chief Malai Lembu who has sold his soul to the DAP tokongs, indeed to anyone else and at any cost, to aid his quest to be Prime Minister. You see, the Chinese can also smell political sleazoids like Brother Anwar, this time from two miles away. His psychotic obsession to be PM is also viewed by the Chinese as a weakness. And they are exploiting this weakness to the core, as the golden opportunity for them to grab Putrajaya albeit embedded inside a malleable Malai Lembu façade.

Either way, they have gained concessions beyond their wildest dreams. 


Let's be frank here.  The Chinese is an invasive species wherever they set foot on this earth. Even China was not so "China" until a thousand years ago when Chinese hordes radiated out of their Yellow river habitat to crowd out adjacent ethno-cultural groups, from the Manchus of the north to the Tibetans and Uighurs in the far west to the various southern ethnics of Yunnan.     

Like snakeheads and Asian carps in America, this invasive species, given half a chance, would devour and obliterate everything in its wake. In Malaysia, politics is their new frontier, the ultimate guarantor of their preferred ecosystem in this foreign land. Malay preeminence, indeed the very essence of this nation, is relentlessly challenged. Riding on the backs of the dumber-than-dumb Malai Lembus of PAS and PKR, this invasive species will not relent until they supplant the divided Malays and govern this nation by proxy. 

Part of this process involves wholesale troublemaking, to destabilise the status quo, to agitate the masses, to rock the habitat by provoking the admittedly complacent Malays into innumerable little skirmishes over race, language, religion, education, culture and everything else under the sun. Everything must be questioned, unraveled and brought into disrepute. Heck, even the origin of the Malays has become a point of contention. A typical SJKC-minted cyber nut would openly declare that the "Malay Race" does not exist! In their ching-chong ching-chong cyberchats, the Melayus are just a random collection of transplanted Nusantara transients with little history of pre-colonial nationhood on this land that bears their name. Oh yes, Parameswara was an Indian fella, Hang Tuah was a Chinaman soldier of fortune, and "Melayu" means to "run away" in some obscure pre-Sailendran Javanese idiomatic nuance. Suddenly, Ms. Kum Hia Nao, a lambut kalat bimbo in a dingy unisex salon with a form three education morphs into an expert on Malay anthropology in her Facebook postings. Likewise, pimply-faced Sekolah Menengah-dropout Thong Sum Pah who failed Sejarah in Form One remove class has become an eloquent expert on the political history of the Hinduised Kingdoms of Southeast Asia, merrily typing away (atrocious grammar notwithstanding) fairytales of Malay history he picked up among likeminded cyberfriends.

Hilariously ridiculous as it may seem, this reflects the thought process of the invasive species. I can argue with these SJKC-minted cadres that my ancestors have ruled Kelantan since 1190 (over 200 years before Melaka existed) and our progenitor Langkasukan civilization (centered near present-day Yarang, Patani) dates back to 200AD per imperial Chinese records no less. But no. Not good enough. Their inner soul has already been shaped, fine-tuned and calibrated at the SJKC and Chinese Independent High School to abhor anything Malay, to dismiss Malay history, to dismiss their Malay Tuan Tanahs as lazy, tongkat-dependent numbskulls devoid of culture and identity. To these SJKC-poisoned crowd, the Malays, including PM Najib, is only one degree removed from the Indo maids and labourers they have been exploiting and mistreating all these years. 

Once the prey is shed of its social status and dignity, with its history and culture stripped bare, relentless political offensive follows.

That's the modus operandi of this invasive species.

First they stealthily slither into a pristine new habitat. Like the invasive snakehead fish dubbed fishzilla that is terrorising American rivers, they would methodically out-hunt, out-eat and out-breed the endemic species. 

Then they would crowd out the natives who will be banished to less hospitable niches towards the road to oblivion. 

Go to any supermarket check-out counter. Typically, the Chinese would be a minority in these lines, perhaps 4 to 6 out of 20. But notice who makes the most noise, the most obnoxious in manners and disposition, with the baddest, noisiest and meanest kids imaginable. Yes, this invasive species. I was in line at Ikea, Mutiara Damansara, last month. The aggressive shopping cart maneuverings and high volume ching-chong-ching-chong by four famiies, yes four, completely dominated the scene. The other 20 odd families waiting in line -- mostly Malays, a couple of Indians and some Mat Sallehs -- were reduced to nothing more than sedentary, captive audience forced fed a grotesque show of kurang ajar-ness. In loud pidgin Cantonese or Hokkien, the Ah Sohs would liberally throw comments about the stupidity of the Malay cashier, the old Mat Salleh's brown ass girlfriend and the frail Makcik impeding their rush to the exit. Yup, ching-chong-ching-chong all the way to their luxury SUVs (... so much for a "repressed minority" eh?). 


Same thing in a typical office or apartment elevator. You see, where you have six Malays and one Chinese, the ride would be blissfully quiet. You add just one more Chinese in the mix and you'll have non-stop ching-chong-ching-chong from the 42nd floor all the way to Basement 3! And the Malays, typical of endemic species, would just look down, shut up and tolerate the noise pollution.     

See the trend, the behavioral trait? Invasive species, though smallish in number, would typically expel the natives though sheer social turbulence and distruption of the habitat and food chain. 

And to consolidate their hold in newly won habitats, the invasive species require strong reinforcements from subsequent generations. This is where Chinese schools come in, as the supplier of fresh young aggressive cadres with little exposure or affinity to the native Malays. These next-gen ching-chongers stick out like dog turd in the crowd. Go to any McDonald's, even in Kota Bharu (near the UMK campus) in the Malay heartland. A few members of this invasive species would wreak havoc. In no time, the pleasant, relaxing ambience would degenerate into noisy, chaotic Pasar Borong free for all. Many Malay families would quickly consume their meal and leave the premises with a sense of anger and bewilderment.

Again, invasive species wins.    

The cadre pipeline, Chinese schools, are the lifeblood of this invasive species. No SJKC, no more nasty little pests to push the invasion. Hence, it is not  surprising to witness their determined stand on Chinese schools.  True to their nature, these invasive species would fight tooth and nail to maintain their cadre production line, the means to expand their alien footprint in a new habitat at the expense of others.  

 Malaysia Boleh!

Nowhere else on earth.

Three parallel educational universe underpin 

an angry, confused society.

So who's the culprit behind this unprecedented SJKC building boom?

Kit Siang or Guan Eng. No. 

Brother Anwar? No.

The long-skirted mullahs in flip flops. No.

Teeny Weeny? The chief alien, Donkey Kong's Yap Sin Tian?

None of the above.

Then who?

PM Najib Razak.

Yes, PM Najib is the single biggest catalyst for the spread of the ching-chong-ching-chong invasive species in this country's history. 

 Down payment towards a chaotic future.

RM3 million down, another billion to give. 
Do you think that grinning Ah Pek will vote BN?

And the sad part is that all of his efforts -- the hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money squandered, the nation's future compromised -- would come to zilch as the Chinese would still vote DAP, PKR and their subservient Malai Lembu stooges of PAS. Yes, all the compromises, appeasement, giveaways, bribery and promises for nothing!

Go here for a taste of the arrogance and ungratefulness of this invasive species. 

Boleh bincang sama ini macam punya manusia ka? Boleh kawtim ka? Boleh tolak ansur ka? Ya lah Jib, dia olang tolak, lu ansur-ansur undur.

Seriously, PM Najib must be a borderline compulsive obsessive delusional twit if he thinks he can seduce the emboldened Chinese with gifts and promises. Sorry lah Dato' Seri, you don't figure in their plans post PRU13. Sure, being the predatory invasive species that they are, they will sapu and tibai whatever gifts you throw at them. They might even say talima kasih latok sili  to your face in front of the cameras. But they are already deadset in their political roadmap, and you are not in the picture. 


Meanwhile, the invasive species marches on, gaining more ground as the hopelessly divided Malays reel under the weight of their own political stupidity. More SJKCs would be demanded. More independent Chinese secondary schools would be demanded. The banishment of non "Chinese language qualified" teachers, even teachers of Bahasa Melayu, would be demanded. More of everything would be demanded .... and more would be given to them.   

"We want more, we want more, we want more of everything. 

Chinese schools are enshrined in the constitution."

Yeah right Ah Seng, the constitution of what country? People's Republic of China?

So how now? Macam mana sekarang bang?

Sorry, its already too late for the hows and the macam manas.

We rakyat tanggung saja lah.

As for the Melayus, don't blame the invasive species. You yourselves created this problem. 

According to the 2010 census, Malays and other Bumiputras make up almost 70% of the population. Yes, almost three-quarters! Yet your behaviour and mindset is akin to a powerless minority, outmaneuvered on all fronts by the cunning invasive species constantly threatening your livelihood and unsettling your way of life. Even "Allah" must be shared now. You don't even have a collective agenda. You bicker among yourselves over petty stuff, often reduced to juvenile name calling and taunting -- Khalid Gagap, Khalid Gereja, Si Kitol, Imam Selipar, Si Kemetot, Mike Tyson, B.A.B.I., Isa Doraemon, Semi Value, Mahafiraun, Tokong, Al-Kataki, Musang Hitam, Big Mama ........  macam-macam ada. You see, when your take on national politics is reduced to the level of TV3's Melodi, you are in trouble, big time!


You have become tools of others. Nik Aziz, the PAS Chief Mullah, would regularly sanitise and "halalkan" racial and religious insults thrown by the DAP subversives. And UMNO is silent when MCA's Soi Lek took it upon himself to repeatedly chastise hudud although it has no bearing on him or his fellow infidels.   


Since the collapse of the Srivijayan thalassocracy at the end of the 13th century, there has never been a true Pan Malay leader, an empire builder, someone who could inspire, unite and mobilise the Malays into a cohesive socio-political force. Even during the Melaka Sultanate, Malays on both sides of the Melaka Straits were chopped and diced into little fiefdoms ruled by constantly conspiring potentates. The far away invasive species, the Portuguese, conquered Melaka with less than a thousand men and a dozen ships. How? Well, not often mentioned in history, they were aided by Malay disunity in the Melaka realm. If the Malays were united then, you seriously think a few hundred seasick soldados crowded in creaking carracks and caravels from Cochin and Goa could sail alive through the lanun infested straits and, laden with heavy arcabus matchlocks and espadas, could wade past the muddy mangrove to storm the stockades and subjugate thousands upon thousands of pahlawans and perwiras led by laksamanas on war elephants? It would be practically impossible.

Add in the double-crossing Chinaman and Indian element and Melaka met its doom. You see, in the heat of battle, true to their nature, the local Chinese merchants -- who had greatly prospered under the hospitality and security of Melaka's Malay rulers -- gave the Portuguese five large junks complete with crew and provisions plus logistical details and battle secrets -- Melaka's troop strength, firepower, encampments, stockades, even the Sultan's bunker! The local Indians (known as Klings those days) did their part in Melaka's downfall as well. Nina Chatu, a wealthy sleazoid and favoured confidant of Sultan Mahmud Shah,  secretly passed letters from Rui de Araújo, one of 19 Portuguese held by the Sultan, to Afonso d'Albuquerque, detailing Melaka's riches and fortifications. This became a catalyst for d'Albuquerque's attack. Nina Chatu (and his Melaka Kling clansmen) would later vigorously assist the Portuguese in minting coinage and administering the city. For his collaboration, Nina Chatu was made Bendahara, a position later made hereditary for his lineage. 

Another collaborator is Utimuti Raja, leader of the large Javanese community who secretly sent presents to d'Albuquerque and provided safe passage for the exhausted Portuguese force through Melaka's Javanese quarter and joined the invasive species in the conquest. BTW, this Utimuti Raja character was later executed by the Portuguese when he got involved in too many deals and double deals with all sides of the conflict. See, invasive species have killer instinct and destroys any semblance of treachery among fellow predators.       

Five hundred years later and not much have changed.

Look at Malaysian politics. Just like Melaka of a half-millenium ago, you Malays cannot see the threat of the treacherous invasive species on your own land and cannot rise above your trademark affliction of dengki, dendam and tamak haloba that has split your race three ways and with your lot now hurtling towards the abyss of political and economic oblivion. You are disunited in your own little habitat that is already under siege by today's version of the Melaka Chinamen, Nina Chatu and Utimuti Raja. And again akin to history, you Malai Lembu types collaborate with the invasive species to your utter detriment, which you are too stupid to realise until nasi sudah menjadi bubur down the road. And you the PM throws taxpayers' money at SJKC alien-production lines as if this is your only ticket for another five year stay in Seri Perdana. 

Baca sejarah lah kengkawan! Bila dah di ulangi jangan pula menyesal ...

So people, as PRU13 looms, Malaysia has not one but TWO men desperate to be Prime Minister at all costs: the can-give-everything incumbent and the will-give-everything challenger. Either way, the invasive species gains. Indeed, they have gained more in the last four plus years than the previous five decades.

Jadi bang, PRU13 undi siapa? Jembalang yang mana satu?

You decide.

Looking beyond PRU13, can this invasive species be contained, with the socio-economic and political ecosystem made amenable for the endangered endemics as well?

It is for the Malays themselves to answer. The old adage, Bersatu Tegoh, Bercerai Roboh would be a good guide. Add in a sense of Berdikari liberally spiced with Bekerja Keras and we may have some hope yet.

Would the Malays evolve out of practical necessity to out-maneuver and out-compete the invasive species? Would this sedentary native prey mutate and reload to mimic the survival traits of the ruthless predator?

We shall see.