Thursday, November 6, 2008

Racial Polarisation and the Forging of Bangsa Malaysia


We Kelantanese are not amenable to beating around bushes. We are not a pantun and seloka
society. And we do not partake in gurindam and puisi to express our thoughts. We are simpler, more straightforward, more robust, with a clarity of thought and tenacity of purpose reflective of our history and existence as a frontline state against T’ai Buddhist expansionism. Our other half, the old Malay kingdom of Patani, was overrun and annexed in 1902, and today three million Malays there simmer under Thai occupation. Kelantan extricated itself in the nick of time in 1909. Otherwise, KijangMas would be posting as ศรกนกกระจง from กรุงเทพมหานคร.

Our 1,500 year history (from the era of the Ch’ih-tu and Langkasuka kingdoms) are dotted with epic battles for survival, with Kelantan-Patani warriors recorded in the historical annals of Burma, Siam, Cambodia, Champa, Vietnam and all the way down the Malay Peninsula and across to Java, Makasar and beyond. We are a martial race. Our survival as a people throughout 600 years of T’ai aggression was dependent on our capacity to meet these attacks head on, blow for blow, though at times we were outnumbered 5 to 1 on the battlefield. We couldn’t afford to beat around bushes and circumvent issues and hope the problems will go away. No, we face issues head on, albeit with political finesse and diplomatic panache only an old, socially cohesive race could muster.

Our Wayang Kulit invariably ends with epic battles transcending the bumi and kayangan
between powerful forces of good and evil, where the Sri Rama ultimately prevails over a thoroughly vanquished enemy. Our stories are conclusive. Nothing is left to conjecture and interpretations, as in the case of convoluted cerpens. And this conclusiveness shaped our mindset -- as the children of the Sri Rama.

We are hardy, tenacious and self-reliant. That’s why the Kelantan-Patani tribe are found everywhere on earth, from California to London to Makkah and beyond. We are not amenable to self-pity or indulge in a fatalistic disposition. Traditionally, we did not partake in these luxuries as our collective energies were focused on the ceaseless invasions from the north. The weak and the unindustrious are long gone, having perished in battles and leaving no progenies to perpetuate their inadequacies. We couldn’t relate to the guilt and sadness-laden dramas and cerekaramas dished out by the West Coast Malay, what I term the Riau Malay. We view things as they are, although we say things with refined subtlety reflective of our old civilization. We hardly raise our voices. We don’t use hand gestures as props. We say what we need to say softly but assuredly in our idiom-rich vocabulary. And we mean what we say.

On this basis, I will address the issue of our country’s sick ailment – Racial Polarisation – in the way it should be addressed – with the frankness and granularity only a child of the Sri Rama
could expound.

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Why all this fuss about racism?

Malaysia is, by definition, a “racist” country. Yes. Stop kidding ourselves. We are all racists. In fact, Racism defines the dynamics of Malaysia’s socio-political framework. Our nation was forged via an incoherent rendition of pragmatic ethnocentrism that has been in a state of perpetual disequilibrium ever since. Indeed, this is the only country on earth in this day and age where racial distinction is institutionalized and, in a perverse legitimization of this incongruity, touted as a plus factor.

At every opportunity, the Rakyat are reminded of their “race” and place in the “multiracial” and “multicultural” milieu, with pervasive reinforcement literally from cradle to grave.

The authorities further affirmed this racial consciousness by proclaiming:



in glitzy tourism promotions, where distinctly different individuals dressed in “national” costumes of the Malay states, various Borneo tribes, Southern China, Tamil Nadu, Portugal and the Punjab somehow revel in a celebration of ethno-cultural diversity in this “host” land known as Malaysia.

The tombstone in the Tourism Malaysia portal says it all:-

In the heart of Asia lies a land of many cultures, wonders and attractions. With a sparkling and lively melting pot of races and religious (sic) where Malays, Chinese, Indians and the many ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak live together in peace and harmony, Malaysia is truly a country that epitomises Asia.

Such a diversity of ethnic groups inevitably features a large number of spoken languages. The official local language is Bahasa Melayu, but then English is widely spoken as are a number of Chinese dialects. Various other languages are spoken and East Malaysia features several other indigenous languages.

With such obvious diversity, it is remarkable that racial tension is not a constant problem but clearly the gentleness and tolerance of the local population contributes to a real spirit of peace and harmony.


Who wrote this … I’m sorry to say … mythology?

Some White kid at Saatchi & Saatchi New York? What “melting pot of races and religions” are we talking here? How about “boiling cauldron of intolerant racists and zealots”? Why are we presented like some kind of multicoloured, multiphonic happy, cuddly little socio-artifacts in some fantasy vacationland?!

Tell the truth la!

Long-winded corporate adverts to mark Merdeka, Hari Raya and assorted ethno-religious festivities are also littered with more fantasized scenarios of a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious and multi-whatever populace co-habitating tolerantly while celebrating their glorious diversity in a utopian land of opportunity for all.

Mana ada?

Again, we beat around the bush, ignore the inconvenient truth, and kid ourselves with snazzy ads. And the longer we deceive ourselves with this multiracial fantasy, the harder it takes to build a cohesive, unified nation.

We Malaysians have lived in this fairytale for too long, and this blissful fantasy is now crumbling under the very weight of its own ludicrousness. Nobody really believed in this cosmopolitan utopia set against the backdrop of our complex ethnocentrist and messy social milieu.

As a start, we do not even have a proper common LANGUAGE. What is there to share if we can hardly communicate our mutual hopes and aspirations, with the linguistic connection between the racial divide bridged only via gross dilution of syntax and context, and with our true feelings often lost in translation somewhere.

Let me be frank here and express my thoughts in this quasi-common, compromised language of the masses:-

Mana ada ini macam lain tempat? Mana boleh lu cakap lain bahasa, gua cakap lain bahasa, itu orang pun cakap lain bahasa? Mana boleh semua orang keras kepala mau cakap sendiri punya bahasa? Ini negara Malaysia, kita kena cakap Bahasa Malaysia. Apasal susah sangat? Lu pergi Jepun lu kena cakap Jepun. Lu pergi China lu kena cakap Mandarin. Lu pergi England lu kena cakap Inggeris. Lu pergi Rusia lu kena cakap Rusia. Kita sama-sama duduk Malaysia lu tak mau cakap Bahasa Malaysia? Kenapa? Malaysia “special case” ka? Siapa cakap? Siapa bikin ini macam? Dalam semua-semua Negara dalam ini dunia, apasal Malaysia kena jadi “special case”? Untuk siapa? Lu atau gua?

Feel better now? Yes and No?

Never mind. Swallow that bitter pill, defy your tribal instinct to either revel or resist and read on.

Sadly, but you have to be a “racist” in Malaysia because Malaysia is touted as a “multiracial” country. There must be a perverted, kafkaesque logic in there somewhere. But it’s beyond me. From primary school, our children are implored to live harmoniously among the various “races” in our “multiracial” country. Racial awareness is hence institutionalized at a very young, impressionable age. This racial distinction is further reinforced by petty racial profiling and prejudices in media programming and commercial adverts.

By the time our children enter the Sekolah Menegah, they are already supra-ethnocentrists and intolerant of other races and this fact is for all to see in our segregated urban playgrounds and street corners. And by college-going age, these Racist Beings are already beyond redemption, spoiling for a fight at the sight of other racists of other ethnic groups. Why should we wonder then that our universities are hyper-polarised along ethnic lines, where the animosity among the dominant Malays and the ethnic minorities are so palpable, so granular.

We are somehow told to “take pride” of our “multi-racial, multi-cultural” country, as if this is a preferred trait in achieving cohesive statehood. Of course it is not the case. The constant reminding of our “multi-racial, multi-cultural” essence breeds further explicit consciousness of our “race,” and this has now permeated every facet of our lives 24/7.
Should we then wonder why we have all become so utterly Racists? This hyper-ethnocentrism inevitably propagates further ethno-chauvinist tendencies, as each “race” outdo one another to stamp their racial identity in a grotesque manifestation of tribalism gone mad. Now imagine when this ethnic belligerence flare across a permutation of 40 ethnic, tribal and assorted suku kaums.

Even sports are caught up in this crippling racial imbroglio. Pay TV operator, Astro, somehow deemed it cute and proper to spin short promo clips of Malaysian Olympians talking in their “mother” tongues. Lee Chong Wei and other ethnic-Chinese Malaysian athletes uttered their hopes in Mandarin, likewise others spoke in Tamil and English. Only ethnic-Malay Olympians spoke in Bahasa Malaysia, as if the National Language has been relegated to be on par with the other languages and only applicable to the Malays. I’m sure many of us would be interested in Lee Chong Wei’s aspirations. But we will never know because he is speaking in the national language of China and not even the Hokkien or Cantonese of his household! So in effect, barely a fifth of Malaysians knew what the heck Lee Chong Wei and the ethnic-Chinese Malaysian Olympians were saying and seven percent or less could comprehend the Tamil utterances of the ethnic–Tamil athletes. Hence, is it really a wonder why Lee Chong Wei’s endeavour to Olympic Silver was not followed with the passion of the past by the nation and hardly celebrated upon his triumphal return? Why no open top motorcade processions in the kampungs di setiap pelusuk tanah air, like the 1992 Thomas Cup heroes? Because Mandarin-speaking Chong Wei was not regarded as “one of us” by the ubiquitous Malay masses out there?

What was Astro trying to prove?

I think it is scandalous. I’m sure no nation on earth would even contemplate staging this misguided, divisive charade. Have we ever heard Arnold Schwarzenegger utter anything in German? And he is not even American-born, having migrated from Austria. How about French footballer Robert Pirés talking Portuguese on French TV just because his parents were Portuguese immigrants? Or German soccer stars Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski speaking their "native" Polish on German TV? What about President Nicholas Sarkozy, a first generation Frenchman of Hungarian and Greek Jewish parentage? Any Hungarian or Greek pride in this diminutive man? Of course not. He is totally assimilated and is today the epitomy of Frenchness and leader of the Francophone World.

Where would Barrack Obama be if he insisted on conversing in his father’s native Swahili? Well, he wouldn’t be the U.S. president-elect for sure. The governor of Louisiana,
Bobby Jindal, is the son of Indian immigrants. Do you think he got elected for his Hindi oratory skills in Cajun Country?

And here you have 3rd-4th generation Malaysians uttering messages for our Bangsa Malaysia TV audience in the national language of China and main language of India’s Tamil Nadu state.

Astro falls under what ministry? Mana Shabery Cheek? What about the MCMC? Or is this under Shaziman Mansor’s ministry? I would like someone up there to ask Astro’s Ralph Marshall and Rohana Rozhan why they deem this stunt as proper in the context of Malaysian nation building? Or have they outsourced their programming to a bunch of foreigners totally devoid of our national aspirations in their attempt to be creatively cute to justify their exorbitant fees?

At this rate, our march towards national integration under a singular, cohesive identity is bleak indeed.

Events such as the Olympics, where our athletes are supposed to represent the country as a cohesive, united nationalistic Malaysian Race -- as uttered in our battle hymn, “Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara, Malaysia Berjaya” – would require complete cohesion with a sense of shared destiny, not a patchwork of variegated ethnic groups, tribes and suku kaums whose only affinity with one another is their mutual contempt and suspicion.

Let me ask this question that I know is in the minds of the majority of Malaysians.

Why must Malaysia be compelled to account for every race, ethnic group and suku kaums under her flag in everything we do? Even in the sports teams we assemble? In tourism promotions? In government and corporate events?

Come on lah. This is a COUNTRY, not a loose association of races and tribes; not a collection of connoisseurs of foreign languages and costumes languishing in self-contained cocoons; not a tenuous conglomeration of estrange peoples.

This is not a half-way-house, a transit point – a rumah tumpangan -- for people to languish prior to their resettlement in their ultimate countries of choice one or two centuries after the arrival of their forefathers to these shores. Citizens of our blessed land must have a sense of permanence in this country. Citizenship and permanence go hand in hand. And these come with obligations. It is our obligation as permanent citizens of this country to strive for unity under a common Bangsa Malaysia identity underpinned by a common language, Bahasa Malaysia.

I've travelled far and wide and lived in many countries. Every country I've visited possess a strong sense of nationhood, a solid identity, a national philosophy, a national character. Of course, many are multi-ethnic as well, but their societies are forged by common values, a shared history, and a collective vision underpinned by a common dominant language. But sadly NOT in our beloved Malaysia. We have become a nation of ethnic ghettos and enclaves, a patchwork of estrange peoples languishing in a tense, stressful and simmering land.

This is NOT how you build a nation. There must a base of shared values and socio-cultural norms and a sense of shared destiny. Of course, we may be of different origins, but we cannot go forward as a nation via divergent, distinct paths in language, education, social norms and aspirations.

The Federation of Malaysia was not designed to host a collection of mini Kwangtungs, mini Tamil Nadus, mini Keralas and mini Punjabs superimposed on a flailing Malay canvas. And now we have to contend with an embryonic mini Surabaya, mini Kathmandu, mini Dakar, mini Saigon and mini Yangon, and soon mini Lagos and mini Nairobi.

Is this really tenable? Enough of this stupidity. Cukup lah!

If this model works, then nation states would be obsolete across the world. But human society does not evolve nor function this way. There must be conformity. There must be cohesion. There must be singularity of purpose that transcends parochial sentiments.

The 51-year Malaysian experiment to loosely weld a polygot of multiracial, multicultural, multi-whatever existence has been an utter failure. At this rate, we'll be a failed state, destroyed by the Rabid Racists and Anarchists with no real affinity to this land.

Countries have rules, countries have norms, countries have solid underlying bases that define their nationhood. And a common unifying language is always the cornerstone of this foundation. Plus a set of values, a national philosophy. Yes, we have the Rukunegara. Now, say the five tenets out loud to yourselves. Say it out loud in perfect, assertive Bahasa Malaysia. Can you or can’t you? If you can, bravo. Your stint at the Sekolah Kebangsaan was not in vain. If you can’t, take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Now you know what a confused, stateless pathetic loser looks like?

O.k., what does the Rukunegara really mean? Remember the fifth tenet, Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan? Have Malaysians exhibited sufficient kesopanan lately? How come being sopan (the antithesis of biadap and kurang ajar) seemed an excruciatingly elusive trait among many of us? Can we even comprehend the meaning of Keluhuran Perlembagaan? Or do we think it is chic, an in-thing, to bring into disrepute everything under our perlembagaan? See what happen to our lives when we have no common national ideology, national philosophy, national agenda, no sense of shared destiny and when we lack the necessary profound respect of our Negara and appreciation of our Rukunegara.

What happened to our cohesive, triumphal sports teams? Remember our football and hockey teams of the sixties, seventies and eighties? And our Thomas Cup winners of 1992? Recall how cohesive they were and how patriotic we were then? Remember our 1975 World Cup hockey team? We almost made it to the final if not for two heartbreak goals by ultimate champions India. Yes, we were perched on top of the world. Remember our Bangsa Malaysia hockey team of that period? Khairuddin Zainal the rock in goal, skipper Sri Shanmuganathan marshalling the defense with authority, and Poon Fook Loke the bane of opposing defenses. They were Anak Malaysia, they were Bangsa Malaysia, they were our Pasukan Kebangsaan! What’s the state of Malaysian hockey now? We cannot even make the cut to a crowded 12 team field in the Beijing Olympics. What happened to the Foo Keat Songs, Sarjit Singhs and M. Mahendrans of Malaysian hockey? How come Malays now dominate our hockey scene? Do we have to blame this on the NEP as well? I don’t recall any 70% quota on national representation? Has our Kementerian Belia dan Sukan given much thought on this phenomena? Is Ismail Ahmad Sabri a sportsman to begin with? At least Azalina Othman Said looked the part, with taekwando black belt, girlfriend and all.

Hockey was the domain of Tamil and Punjabi Malaysians. How come the offpsrings of the Sri Shans and the Sarjits don’t partake in hockey anymore? Perhaps that may explain this uneasy restlessness, a hopeless sense of having nothing to look forward to so pervasive in our Indian brothers. Is this one reason they are now so easily mobilised to fight for a cause they don’t quite understand and to take to the streets in large numbers just for the heck of it? Is this a way to dispense their unused youthful energy and to search for the elusive Indian Malaysian heroes and role models? Did the selfish racists of Hindraf took advantage and filled this gap? Have Waythamoorthy and Uthayakumar become the new Sri Shans and M. Mahendrans, the much-need perwiras for the Indian Malaysians, albeit for a twisted, divisive cause?

Now, how about football?

Did we view our football legends, Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, R. Arumugam and Santokh Singh, through race-tinted lenses? Of course not. They were members of the Bangsa Malaysia team that reigned supreme in Asia, even won the Bronze at the 1974 Teheran Asian Games and qualified for the 1972 and 1980 Olympics. Remember when Malaysian football dominated Southeast Asia and was superior to South Korea, Japan and the West Asian teams that are today regular attendees in World Cups?

Can we recall Chin Aun, Arumugam and Santokh talking on TV in any other language but Bahasa Malaysia? Of course not. They were proud members of Bangsa Malaysia, confidently speaking in one voice. Chin Aun – the Babaesque Malacca native -- was the unquestioned skipper, leader and libero for a decade. He was the Towkay. Remember? Would we ever have another ethnic-Chinese captain of the Malaysian football team? Heck no. Forget that question. Let’s make it simpler. Can anyone name one ethnic-Chinese player in our current pasukan kebangsaan? No? Remember when we had Chow Chee Keong or Lim Fung Kee or Wong Kam Fook in goal; Chin Aun in defense; Wong Choon Wah the midfield general; and Yip Chee Keong in attack – all on the same field for Malaysia at the same time? Later came the likes of Lim Chuan Chin, Ong Yu Tiang, James Wong, Wong Hung Nung, Lee Kin Hong, Chow Siew Yai, Khan Hung Meng, Tang Siew Seng and Lim Teong Kim. These were fantastic players, many good enough to pursue professional careers in foreign lands.

What happened since? The 21-member Malaysian team in the recent Merdeka Cup consists of 20 Malays and a lone ethnic-Tamil reserve. The ethnic-Chinese are nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, the Chinese have somehow stopped playing football as our playgrounds and football fields become segregated by ethnicity and language – a direct fallout of the segregation of schools. Football is an overwhelmingly Malay sport now, with a sprinkling of “kampung Tamils” to spice up the proceedings with their penchant for theatrics and overdribblings. In the glory years of the seventies, the multi-ethnic crowd at Merdeka Stadium would rally and root voraciously for our pasukan kebangsaan and heckle the opponent in Bahasa Malaysia, spiced with a potpourri of pidgin Malay street slang in banter. The Ahmads of Kg. Baru, the Ah Mengs of Pudu and the Krishnans of Brickfields would jump on their seats and hugged one another at the sight of yet another blistering Mokhtar Dahari goal set up by Choon Wah’s sublime cross. We were a cohesive group of 45,000 screaming and laughing members of Bangsa Malaysia at Merdeka Stadium. On many occasions, I was there as a member of this Bangsa Malaysia. I can vividly recall our 1977 KL SEA Games Dream Team that trashed then-Burma 9-1 and overpowered Thailand 2-0 in the final. In fact, I can still utter their names as they are etched in the collective memories of my generation.

Heck, I’ll say it now as they deserved to be remembered for posterity. This team of seven Malays (Jamal Nasir, Yahaya Jusoh, Abdah Alif, Shukor Salleh, Bakri Ibni, Isa Bakar and Mokhtar Dahari), two ethnic-Chinese (Soh Chin Aun and James Wong), an ethnic-Tamil (R. Arumugam) a Punjabi Sikh (Santokh Singh) and a Sarawak Dayak substitute (James Yaakub) were the embodiment of the Malaysian Race, the Bangsa Malaysia. These were the idols of Malaysian sports fans across the land. The Malaysian football team was our team, the Bangsa Malaysia team. At the neighbourhood padang, my gang took turns to mimic Arumugam in goal and Chin Aun as the libero and, of course, SuperMokh, Mokhtar Dahari. My buddy, Ow Chak Yoon would mimic the RTM running commentary as the rest of us scurry after the tattered football; his impersonation of Zulkarnaen Hassan in ecstasy over a Malaysian goal was uncanny, surreal, and reverberates in my ears whenever I look at old faded photographs of my classmates. Oh yes, every ethnic-Chinese in my Standard Six class wanted to be Mokhtar Dahari on the field. I always imagined I was the great Chin Aun, elegantly caressing the ball with imperious presence in the Malaysian backline. Race was never an issue. These football legends belonged to all of us Bangsa Malaysia, speaking in one voice, striving for the same goal.

Three decades later, our sports teams have degenerated into a collection of Mandarin, Tamil and English- and Manglish-speaking individuals, with Bahasa Malaysia uttered only by the Malays, and even that in mutually-unintelligible Kelantanese, Kedahan and assorted Borneo dialects. No wonder we have become minnows in team sports, where team mates could hardly communicate, let alone strategise. Our football team is now ranked 160 by FIFA, sandwiched between such powerhouses as Lesotho and St. Lucia. Where the heck is St. Lucia? Our hockey team has all but dissipated under the astroturf. Our badminton team is a shambles.

These are just a small sampling of the price we all pay for our lack of national unity, lack of national identity, lack of national cohesion.

I think it is utterly Scandalous. Kita semua sudah gila ka?

Is our fragmented social existence a tenable long-term proposition, not just in sports but in our daily affairs as a sovereign nation under one flag?

No.

Is the people to blame? Do you blame the kucing when your lauk kena curi on the dinner table?

No.

The government is the biggest culprit of all. Since the Pak Lah era, we are constantly bombarded by decrees reminding us that kita adalah negara berbilang bangsa and these various bangsas must hidup bersama dalam suasana harmoni dan aman damai sejahtera. Again, I sense a high degree of idiotic oxymoronist irony here. First the populace are incessantly reminded that they are different from one another. Then they are told to live together in peace and harmony. Hence, a confused populace are asked to co-exist amidst their distinctions. The human mind – indeed, the instinct of every creature created by God -- doesn’t work this way. We naturally search for commonalities, affinities and comfort zones of socio-cultural familiarity. We don't embrace alien cultures as a natural behaviourial trait. And these very distinctions are constantly unearthed and embellished by a government that concurrently implore us to unite. See the dichotomy? The utter contradiction? Why the need to constantly remind the people of their ethnic specificities? Why the need to reaffirm everyone’s ancestry and their mutual distinction, knowing full well that these elements are the very impediments to social cohesion?

How can the people unite when they are constantly reminded of their differences and encouraged to affirm their race in everything they do? Even the long-integrated groups such as the Malaccan and Penang Babas and Nyonyas have relapsed to being Chinese with a vengeance. Their refined 500-year culture, a truly Malaysian heritage, has been obliterated by their mimicry of the more recent arrivals and the culture of the Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese. That’s an irreplaceable heritage dissipating right in our midst and we are doing nothing about it.

This quest for diversity has become ridiculous. It’s just stupid! Bodoh!!!

Our neighbours Thailand and Indonesia are actually ethnically more heterogeneous than ourselves. But can you find a Thai tourism brochure promoting the country’s “multiracial” Chao Phraya T’ai, Krung Thep Chinese, Patani Malay, Mon, Khmer, Lao, Isaan, Lanna T’ai, Korat T’ai, Hilltribes and Sea Gypsy populace? No. They are all “Thais,” a new race concocted by Field Marshall Phibun Songkhram via his 1938 Thai Ratthaniyom decree where, under threat of severe penalties, every one of these ethnic groups must speak Thai (based on the Bangkok Siamese dialect), act Thai, be Thai and assume Thai names living in a unitary Ratcha Anachak Thai (ราชอาณาจักรไทย) guided by the principles of Chad Sassana Pramahakasat (Nation, Religion, the King).

What about Indonesia, with hundreds of ethnic groups, languages and cultures? Do Indonesian travel brochures utter: “Come to the land where the (… try to utter this out loud in one breath …) Javanese, Sundanese, Maduran, Minang, Malay, Achehnese, Batak, Buginese, Moluccan, Dayak, Balinese, Baweanese, Bengkuluan, Sumbawan, Torajan, Papuan, … ad nauseam live happily ever after.” Of course not. They are all proud Indonesians. Period.

But aren’t we a glorious melting pot of races and cultures and languages and ways of life and philosophies living together in splendid harmony?

No. Sorry but no.

There is no racial harmony in Malaysia. A state of “Harmony” exists only when you have cohesion, a coalescence of dynamic forces in a singular trajectory towards a common goal. Do we have this in Malaysia after 51 years of nationhood? No. Enough of this dondang sayang beating around the bush approach to the problem.

Listen, “melting pot of races and religions” and “living together in peace and harmony” are mutually exclusive sociological conditions. The Homo sapiens sapiens – yes, lu dan gua – are social animals that are mentally calibrated to function optimally in a cohesive group defined by shared affinities. This later gave rise to tribes and races and nation-states of common societies. This is basic human nature. And when you fight human nature -- when you force feed these tribes on a diet of “living together in peace and harmony” with other tribes -- you will take the “human” out of the human and he/she will revert back to his/her basic animalistic instinct – the primal need to not only survive but to prevail and thrive at the expense of others. When all Malaysians are driven and dominated by this intrinsic primal instinct to survive and thrive at the expense of "the others," we then become a train wreck-in-waiting, hurtling uncontrollably into the crevasse of national anarchy and ruin.

If our multiracial, multi-everything prescription works, then nation states would be obsolete and the planet would be one big happy family, where the Germans and Spanish and Russians exist in a seamless polity; where the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese bow to the same flag of their amalgamated multicultural motherland; where the Persians, Kurds, Arabs and Turks ……. no? Of course not.

No. The point is: Every nation encapsulate a dominant, pervasive socio-cultural essence, a singular identity that defines their populace. A collage of distinct ethno-cultural groups co-existing precariously on a brittle platform of Muhibbah-by-convenience do not make a nation. We must, therefore, go back to the basics of nationhood. We must have a national identity, driven by a common national language and a set of common values etched in stone. We must extinguish the differentiations that alienated ourselves and that gave rise to the primal instinct to survive amidst competing tribes.

Why so susah one?

We already have Bahasa Malaysia and the Rukunegara. Mau apa lagi? Why so difficult? Mau wang ka? 10 sen for every Bahasa Malaysia word uttered in public? Do we need to be bribed or threatened to do what is essentially our obligation as citizens of this country? This is an outrage. What kind of people have some of us turned into? Sick little calculative hostile selfish monsters?








We don’t have to look far to find a tenable model of nationhood. Look at Kelantan. The Kelantanese populace – predominantly and overwhelmingly ethnic-Malays with a small but industrious ethnic-Chinese community as well as the Orang Asli and a smattering of T’ais -- regard themselves as Oghé Kelaté, cohesively united by a common, inclusive and pervasive Kelantanese dialect, outlook, self-image and culinary preference, where ethnicities are blurred by a strong sense of “Kelantan-ness.” A Kelantanese Malay would be more at home with his ethnic-Chinese compatriot than with a fellow Malay from, say, Perak or Johor. Likewise for the Kelantanese Chinese.

But this is not the case for the rest of the country.

Why? What went wrong?

In the West Coast states, many of the “Malays” themselves are descendants of fairly recent Nusantara migrants with minimal affinity to the land beyond the navigable riverbanks. Add to the cauldron the descendants of ethnic-Chinese mining coolies, Tamil labourers, Sikh policemen, Siamese itinerant farmers, and an eclectic sprinkling of Portuguese creoles and mestizos plus the myriad of Borneo suku kaums -- all of whom are pursuing an intolerant ethnocentric stance – and we, indeed, have a combustible pot of social anarchy and mayhem. This curdling cauldron, lacking in a unifying national identity or a sense of a common stake, is fast dismantling our sense of nationhood, a process that may be complete when it boils over at any moment.

The peculiar government strategy of reinforcing each and every ethnic group as unique in this country – further exacerbated by rabidly chauvinistic ethnic-based political parties appealing to the ever growing radical fringe of their communities – is breaking our national cohesiveness. We have reached a point where the races live in their own distinct parallel universe oblivious to the existence of the other groups unless out of sheer necessity, in which case their Worlds collide in a calamity of intolerance, contempt, suspicion and incompatibility.

Is this really a tenable model of nationhood? What is a “nation” anyway? Let me ask, can a nation survive when significant segments of its citizens steadfastly subscribe to the linguistic and cultural identity of other nations, hence creating pesky little embedded nations within a nation?

The plain vanilla Matnor, Kok Leong and Ragu plus the odd Kuldeep Singh that were my playmates on the bumpy primary school field of Section 11, PJ in the early 1970s, have now morphed into intolerant, barely recognizable ethno-chauvinist monstrosities curdling with anger and belligerence, waiting to “pounce” at the first sign of “Racism” by other ethnic groups while oblivious to the fact that they themselves are the uber racists.

Enough talk. How do Malaysia break out of this self-induced socio-toxicity?

Well, racism will be obliterated from the Malaysian consciousness only if Malaysia evolves into a homogeneous society defined by nationality, the proverbial and oft-quoted Bangsa Malaysia, the Malaysian race.

What then is the Malaysian race?

What language should a Malaysian speak?

What culture and mannerisms?

What shared values and philosophies?

What inner-consciousness?

What sense of shared identity?

What sense of shared destiny?


These are questions that must be addressed by our national leadership, taking into account the aspirations of the majority of the populace. Didn’t the Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Melayu envisioned a federation of Malay states yang di bentuk dalam arca Melayu, underpinned by adat-adat Melayu, speaking in one voice in Bahasa Melayu? While the rights of minorities and naturalised immigrants to practise their dialects and cultures within their own communities are safeguarded, it was never meant to be a national affair, to be perched on par with the Budaya Melayu berlandaskan Bahasa Melayu dan Agama Islam. No. The language, culture, image, norms, indeed, the national identity of Malaya is predominantly Melayu, and with the formation of Malaysia, incorporate the native cultures of the Borneo states as well. This stance must be enforced vigorously.

Start by enlightening the populace of this national identity framework. And refrain from blindly projecting non-native costumes and cultures from far away lands in our tourism promotional media. As for non-Malay and non-Borneo Bumiputra culture, recognise only what came together with the immigrants from China and India. What they carry on their backs upon arrival in Tanah Melayu would be recognised and they can partake in it in the privacy of their own communities. BUT, it is NOT our nation's duty -- by any stretch of either the imagination or the Constitution -- to go searching for "Chinese" and "Indian" cultural relics and costumes and dances in the original motherlands of these naturalised pendatangs and their descendants. Itu sudah lebih. Sudah tidak masuk akal. No Malaysian citizen should be in the business of importing cultural forms of foreign nations into our Tanah Air and "passing them off" as part of our Malaysian heritage. That is treachery of the highest order. Arnold Swarzenegger has not gone back to Austria to bring his ancestral yodeling music form to Kah-lifornia. And Louisiana's Bobby Jindal is more American than the Americans, not more Indian than the Indians as in some cases among Indian Malaysians.

Now lets talk about language – the single-most crucial determinant of national identity and mindset. Bahasa Malaysia, our one and only national language which will form the foundation of our quest to forge a sustainable Bangsa Malaysia identity ......

But wait, do I sense some resistance here? Why? You flaunt your Malaysian citizenship as a matter of hak and you use this hak to the hilt even to the detriment of others BUT you despise all tenets of Malaysian nationhood, not least Bahasa Malaysia as the single, unifying language? So you want HAK without the TANGGUNGJAWAB? Is this part of the Social Contract forged by our founding fathers? I'll be a rich man indeed if I can have such an unconscionable contract in my business affairs.

Why shouldn’t this new Bangsa Malaysia speak Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of Malaysia as enshrined in the Constitution, as the primary language at home, work and play? Why not? Why the reluctance, even abhorrence to do so among some? Remember the line in the stirring patriotic song: “… Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Malaysia Berjaya.” This was penned in the early 1960s. What happened since? Over 40 years on and a considerable chunk of Malaysians refuse to learn to speak or even acknowledge Bahasa Malaysia as the language of Malaysia, as the single common factor that can bind us as a “race,” as the fundamental platform to nurture and propagate common values underpinning our vision of a Bangsa Malaysia. After 51 years of statehood, many third and fourth generation Malaysians speak Bahasa Malaysia not much better than the Bangla and Nepali migrant workers, at times even worst. And a great many others refuse to utter a single word, almost as a perverse form of protest over nothing.

Indeed, the attitude of many ethnic-Chinese and Indian citizens of Malaysia towards the country’s sole national language, Bahasa Malaysia, is appalling and bordering on the scandalous. I lived in California for the greater part of a decade and had prolonged business stays in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and many other countries. Without exception, immigrants to these countries took great pains to conform, to assimilate, and to blend into the generic social landscape, lest they’ll be abused and ridiculed. By the next generation, they will be totally immersed in the socio-cultural norm of the host nation. In the U.S., first generation immigrants like Intel’s Andy Grove (real name András István Gróf, a Hungarian émigré); ex-Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger (Heinz Alfred Kissinger, a German Jew), Zbigniew Brzezinski (Polish-born), and Madeline Albright (Marie Jana Körbel, a Czech-born); Martina Navratilova (Czech-born tennis icon); Arnold Swarzenegger (the Austrian-born actor and now California governor); and Ang Lee (Taiwan-born film producer/director) quickly adopted English and conform to American social norms. Their offsprings would be totally Americanised and indistinguishable from other Americans in terms of language, outlook and mannerisms. Well, look at Barrack Obama, son of a Kenyan father. Do we see him having a tantrum and insisting on Swahili road signs in America? Of course not. Could he have won the American presidency against all odds if he speaks English at the level that most Malaysian Chinese and Indians speak Bahasa Malaysia? Of course not. He'll be run out of town back to Nairobi or Mombasa.

It’s the same closer to home. Thailand is case in point. In the 1930s, ethnic-Chinese make up over 30% of then-Siam’s population. They were vigorously assimilated under Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram’s Thai Ratthaniyom (Thai Customs) Decree of 1938, where their ethnicity was abolished; anyone speaking Chinese in public would be smacked by a 10-ft bamboo stick by the Thai Culture Police; Chinese schools and newspapers were closed; chopsticks were banned; and the Chinese were compelled to adopt Thai names. Within one generation, the Chinese of Thailand was totally assimilated into Thai society to the point where Thais with Chinese blood will today argue with you to the death to prove that they are “Thai” and not Chinese. Ex-PMs Taksin Shinawatra, Chuan Leekpai, Banharn Silpa-Archa and Thanin Kraivichen are all of Chinese origin. But they are true Thais to the core, with no knowledge of the Chinese language or much awareness of their Chinese heritage. Indonesia of course undertook the same process. Batavia in the 1800s was one big Chinatown governed by the Dutch. Nowadays, those claiming “Tiongkok” ancestry number only about 2-3% of the Indonesian population, with the rest totally assimilated into the huge pool of humanity. All assumed Indonesian names. Some years back, when I was in a meeting with senior officials of an Indonesian conglomerate, I made the mistake of asking one of their VPs whether he was Chinese. This very Chinese looking guy (a sort of Ong Tee Keat-look alike) rose up, banged the table and proclaimed: “Ia bapak, memang nenek moyang saya orang Tionghua. Tapi saya anak Indonesia sejati. Jika perlu, Darah saya akan di jadikan warna merah buat bendera Republik Indonesia tercinta!” He went on to mumble some choice words in Javanese with his pribumi colleagues. Myself and the Malaysian team were flabbergasted!

But back home in our Tanah Air, I just don’t understand how these born and bred full-blooded Malaysians carrying MyCards that proudly proclaim their status as Warganegaras speak Bahasa Malaysia like they just arrived off the tongkang from Fukien or Tamil Nadu. Some refused to utter a single word, almost as a sign of protest and silent disobedience. I don’t think I’ve ever heard parliamentarian Loh Gwo Burne or squash star Nicol David or F-1 dropout Alex Yoong or business magnate Tony Fernandes utter a decent sentence in Bahasa Malaysia on TV. So why cry foul when simpleton politicians like Ahmad Ismail label the non-Malays pendatangs? How could he (or myself and others) differentiate these non-Bahasa Malaysia speaking descendants of pendatangs from the more recent pendatangs, who admirably would quickly grasp the National Language out of sheer necessity and a sense of praticality unclouded by blind chauvinism stoked by selfish politicians?

Why this social aberration almost umatched anywhere else on earth?

Is it because Bahasa Malaysia is actually Bahasa Melayu, the Malay language? Does this imply that some Malaysians are disputing the status of Bahasa Malaysia as Malaysia’s national language and lingua franca on account of it being the language of the ethnic-Malays? Has the “Racist” card reared its ugly head again? Who’s the “racist” now? Do we then have to adopt a neutral language, a colonial language such as English, or perhaps concoct a Malaysian Esperanto
as the national language just to appease these “Racists”? Do we need to go to such great lengths just because a segment of our populace are actually “Racists” and would not accept Bahasa Malaysia as the country’s unifying national language and lingua franca even as they go around shouting “Malaysian Malaysia” to their constituents? What Malaysian Malaysia creature are we talking about here? A Malaysian Malaysia speaking the language of British Malaya? A Mandarin-speaking Malaysian Malaysia? A Tamil-speaking Malaysian Malaysia? A Malaysian Malaysia of Pasar Borong Selayang pidgin Malay speakers?

Who are the “Racists” now?

Sorry, but no nation state will survive long without a single unifying language, without a classless ubiquitous lingua franca for the masses. The English language united America’s “hordes of huddled masses” into productive citizens that built a Superpower although Americans of British Ancestry account for less than a third of the population. English also shaped a prosperous Australia. Spanish and Portuguese formed the cohesive basis for the heterogeneous and hybridized nations of Latin America. On the other hand, when two or more languages compete for supremacy, trouble looms. Canada’s Quebec reels from the divisive impasse between her French and English speakers, with font sizes of bilingual signboards becoming political tools of chauvinists and bigots. Multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural Yugoslavia is now history, dismembered by a devastating civil war marked by unimaginable ethnic-based atrocities. Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese and Tamils are irreconcilable and the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda co-exist in a state of impending calamity.

We Malaysians must choose the correct path towards nation building in light of these incontrovertible precedents.

I must say that opponents of Bahasa Malaysia are nothing more than ignorant chauvinists and bigots. They cannot comprehend the historical and socio-political significance of the language in the region far beyond the borders of Malaysia. Malay (where Bahasa Malaysia came from) has for over a millennium been the unquestioned lingua franca of the Nusantara, the Malay Archipelago, of which the modern nation of Malaysia is but a fragment. In fact, Bahasa Melayu in its earliest written form matched the embryonic Khmer script in terms of antiquity and predated Javanese, Burmese, Thai and most other major languages of the region, with the first documented Malay language inscription dating back to 683 AD found on a stele at Kedukan Bukit near Palembang. That’s over 1,300 years ago. So don’t be fooled by slick anti-Malay propagandists who claim Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia is a young language unsuitable for a globalised world, whatever that jargon means.

From Aceh to Patani to the Sulu Sea, from Jakarta to Surabaya to the Lesser Sunda Islands, from Pontianak to Brunei to Mindanao, from Makassar to Manado to Ambon and to the furthest eastern reaches of the Spice Islands, Bahasa Melayu is the language of commerce, literature and administration. Evey port of call will invariably have a variant of Malay – Melayu Betawi, Melayu Makassar, Melayu Manado, Melayu Kuching, Melayu Palembang, Melayu Medan, Melayu Bengkulu, Melayu Patani, Melayu Ambon, Melayu Kupang, Melayu Singgora, Melayu Lampung, Melayu Brunei, Melayu Banjarmasin, Melayu Langkat and Melayu Asahan although the inhabitants of many of these polities are not ethnic-Malays. The Malay language was the unifying factor of the Nusantara. And today, one can go to Aceh and Patani and the Sulu archipelago and to Manado to Timor and all the way to the darkest jungles of Indonesian Papua – a region wider than Europe or North America -- and will still be able to communicate in a common Malay tongue. Such is the influence of the language.

Remember, trade and political treaties between the European maritime powers and the myriad of polities from Ayutthaya/Siam to the Nusantara kingdoms to Taiwan were mostly in Malay. Indeed, all the hikayats of the region, from the Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai (1390) of Aceh to the Taj al-Salatin (1600s) and the Hikayat Patani (1600s) to the Tuhfat al-Nafis (1800s) are all in Malay, although the native tongues of their places of origin are hardly intelligible to the average Johor-Riau Malay speaker of that era.

It is, hence, not surprising that the nation of Indonesia, where ethnic-Malays are dwarfed by the Javanese and Sundanese and many other pribumis, adopted Malay as the basis for “Bahasa Indonesia” or the “Indonesian Language.” The landmark Sumpah Pemuda declaration of the guiding principles of Indonesian nationhood on October 28, 1928 by young nationalists proclaimed Malay as Bahasa Indonesia, the Bahasa Persatuan or language of unity for the then Dutch East Indies. Imagine if chauvinist elements insisted on Baso Jawo as the national language of Indonesia? That sprawling nation might not even exist today.

Indeed, the adoption of a single dominant language, the Malay language, has been the most important unifying factor among Indonesia’s 300-odd race, tribes and suku-kaums of 235 million strewn over 17,500 islands. Bahasa Indonesia is also the element that gave the ethnic-Chinese Indonesians equal footing with their pribumi countrymen, where they have no linguistic handicap and no sense of interactive inferiority in their daily affairs. Indeed, it is impossible to differentiate the pribumis and the Tionghua, ethnic-Chinese Indonesians, on account of language or accent, a phenomenon matched in the Malaysian context only in Kelantan and the old Baba community in Malacca.

But for the rest of Malaysia? No. The chauvinist, self-centered and short-sighted political leaders of the ethnic minorities have made language a captive of their drive to steadfastly maintain their communities’ ethnic and cultural specificities, thus reducing this segment of Malaysian society into hostile and belligerent little communal islands and enclaves in a Malay ocean. They view Bahasa Malaysia as the language of the Malays. And since hatred for the Malays is a key component of their chauvinism and bigotry, indeed the relevance and very survival of their political parties, it has become necessary to hate and disown the National Language as well. Yes, the better-educated among them would argue for the importance of English as the international language of commerce and education, but in actual fact these racists are bent on elevating other foreign languages – including Mandarin, the national language of China and not the native language of the ethnic-Chinese citizens of Malaysia – to countervail the status of Bahasa Malaysia in this country. The provocative decision by the DAP government of Penang to erect multilingual signages in that state is a manifestation of this divisive racist agenda. Try this stunt anywhere else on earth and see what happens.

Listen people, this is Malaysia where the national language is Bahasa Malaysia. You know deep down that being Mandarin- or Tamil-literate, combined with a weak grasp of the National Language, would create handicaps in your life here, and would further dilute your sense of belonging to this nation. But no. Your minds have been programmed by chauvinist politicians and community bigots to reinforce your ethnic and linguistic identity that you know would be to your own detriment. So why complain when the inevitable happens, when you feel “foreign” in the country of your birth? Could Chinese, Indian or for that matter Malay immigrants to the U.S., Britain or Australia insist on having their own vernacular education in the host country and expect to progress in subsequent professional and economic endeavours? Of course not. It would be stupid as they would be out of the system, indeed, ostracized by the host society. But why do this in Malaysia? And to expect a different reaction, an alternative result and no adverse repercussion is absurd.

As long as the minority races of this country refuse to play ball with the majority -- beginning with an honest effort to master the National Language; to comprehend and respect the dominant culture and norms; to recognise the key instruments and manifestations of nationhood -- they will never be truly accepted as a part of this nation. The number of generations here is not important. What they have become is the key factor. This is Natural Justice, the Law of the Jungle if you will. This is the case for any nation on earth, and Malaysia is no exception.

As a nation, as part of the Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa and Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara mantras of the early 1960s, we need to relook at our nation building approach. We need to recalibrate the trajectory of our sense of nationhood, to prevent our nation from hurtling into the black hole of destruction.

After 51 years of nationhood, the nation’s leadership must not beat around anymore bushes. We have ran out of bushes to beat. We must seriously arrest the degenerative decline right now. Begin by stop highlighting our racial differences. Stop saying we are a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious nation. Stop reminding ourselves to be tolerant of other races, and to live harmoniously in our multiracial society. Stop talking race at every turn. Indeed, ban racial and ethnic classification and identification! We are Bangsa Malaysia, we speak Bahasa Malaysia. But remember, the Arca of this Bangsa Malaysia is the Orang Melayu, the founding fathers of the nation states dotting this Tanah Melayu plus the pribumis of the Borneo states. This unequivocal identity shall be the solid foundation of our nationhood.

Fundamentally, a member of the Bangsa Malaysia should speak the national language of the Federation, Bahasa Malaysia, fluently and as a primary language; be fully versed with adat-adat and tatasusila orang Melayu and other Bumiputras of the Federation; demonstrates respect and deference to Islam as the official religion of the Federation and exhibit traits and mannerisms acceptable to the Malays and other Bumiputras. Non-Malay members of this Bangsa Malaysia may speak in their own dialects in private and may practise their own cultures and religions in the private confines of their community. Also, Budaya Malaysia is based on the budaya of the Malays and other Bumiputras of the Federation – in their various representations.

And the Education System is based on a single, unified Sekolah Kebangsaan system with Bahasa Malaysia as the primary language of instruction.

Later, upon satisfactory cohesion and amalgamation of the Malaysian populace into a truly united Bangsa Malaysia, then by law, ALL references to race and ethnicity in our daily activities should be forbidden.

When will we achieve this raceless paradigm? It is in the hands of each and every one of us. The sooner we embrace the above prescriptions, the sooner we will forge this Bangsa Malaysia.

Yes, the journey towards cohesive nationhood for the Bangsa Malaysia would be perilous indeed. It is not easy to unravel a half-century of segregation and differentiation. But we need to start now. We need to sow the seeds of unity and social cohesion for the next generation.

Only when we have a truly unified Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one language, amenable to Malaysian cultural norms, and with a cohesive Malaysian mindset will we as a nation be able to look beyond the NEP, beyond Malay privileges, beyond safeguarding Malay Rights as we are now all anak Bangsa Malaysia in the arca of the Malays and other Bumiputras of this blessed land.

Measures must be conceived and implemented to forge this Bangsa Malaysia society. Perhaps more assertive measures must be implemented. We cannot, as a proud sovereign nation, go on like this. We just cannot.

Lets discuss this openly, from our hearts, for the love of our Tanah Air tercinta.


273 comments:

1 – 200 of 273   Newer›   Newest»
Ariff Sabri said...

dear demi negara,
this must be yr magnum opus of blog articles. very forceful presentation. pre-empting those who dismiss any comments henceforth in yr current posting as mutual fan club exchanges, let's call a spade, a spade. this is a very good albeit opinionated article. salute bro

Anonymous said...

Deminegara,
Who are you or rather what are you??? Why did you come on late??. I was so intrigued and amazed by the power of arguament and the clear of thought in your write-up.

Anonymous said...

Dengan hujah di atas, di harap semua pihak dapat berbangga menjadi bangsa Malaysia. Bukan Malaysian Malaysia.

Itu sebab kita kena sebut semula "Majulah sukan untuk Negara", buka semula padang untuk anak-anak bermain bola supaya mereka dapat bercampur gaul sesama mereka. Memang mereka akan bergaduh pada mulanya tetapi mereka akan bersahabat kemudian.

Kesemua masalah mengenai perkauman ini bermula apabila kita tukar padang permainan menjadi Rakan Muda yang akhirnya sampai ke tua tidak bersahabat. Fahamilah Bahasa Malaysia bahawa rakan itu tidak sama dengan sahabat.

BAHASA MALAYSIA MENUNJUKKAN BANGSA MALAYSIA.

Anonymous said...

I have goosebumps reading this article.

An excellent analysis of the current dilemma in Malaysia.

Yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly. If we cannot achieve homogeneity through one religion, then homogeneity through one languge is the next best thing.

Only when a nation is united through a common language can it go forward and progress to greater heights.

But sadly, whenever there is a motion to unite the kids at school, the motion will be shot down by the very same people who would promote the solidarity of the vernacular schools.

thank you.

JMD-

Anonymous said...

I echo anonymous above.
BTW why would ah chong or samy or saleh spek the national language when dollah badwi himself always speak english on national tv. so does muhyidin and all glc ceos. Kalu tak kecek ore putih tak hilir lah.

Zhi Yuan said...

Hi Kijangmas,

Very well written. 20 minutes just zoomed by reading this.

I find it interesting that you touched a little on human's nature and our instinct of how we form groups based on affinities.

I also wish to add that it is also within human's nature to have the tendency of thinking short term instead of thinking long term. This is a biological means to help human being survive as we eat when we are hungry, sleep when we are sleepy and fight when we are angry. It will be mentally exhaustive if we are hardwired instead to rationalize what we should eat for the next 2 years and every time before going for a meal, we keep recalling the menu in our head.

Therefore, often, we always just see what's in front of us and not the big picture. And this framework of human thinking contains a huge vulnerability of us 'hitting the tree but missing the forest'.

The first and second generation after Merdeka understand the concept of Bangsa Malaysia because they were there to experience the whole unique thing about being a Malaysian. However, in the next generations after that, the 3rd,4th,5th,6th and so on, things will naturally start to deteriorate and typically, "the pendatang's descendance" will begin taking things for granted - thus the frequent comparison with Singapore on why can't we compete equally on an open arena, why can't we use English as a standard medium and why only a Malay can be the Prime Minister in Malaysia.

Having saying all this, the blames cannot just be pointed at the non-Malays. As highlighted by Tun Mahatir in his interview with Utusan Malaysia, his biggest regret is failing to change the 'tidak apa' mindset of the Malays. There is now a new generation of Malays who are not at all being competitive whether in Education or in the Business arena. It's important for us to understand that it is also within our human instinct to seek equality and fairness. In some scientific research, even a typical 3 years old children understand the concept of fairness.

Combine these two human instincts together - of thinking short term and seeking equality, this is why the majority of the Chinese and non-Malay are unhappy with the political or economic situations in Malaysia.

Perhaps, all these human nature was not foreseeable by the education system in Malaysia as the history of social contract is often understressed in classes. There's almost no emphasis by the teacher or anyone in education on why we should really understand this. The Malays have taken granted that all Malaysian should naturally understand this,and the non-Malay find it insignificant because nobody emphasize the importance to them.

You may call me a skeptic, but I can't see how any leaders in the future could repair this damage which has already been done to all Malaysian's mentality. I noticed that i usually speak English with my Malay friends. All MNCs' official spoken language in Malaysia is English. Even the urban Malays now has already 'accepted the fact' that the only way to communicate with non-malay Malaysians is through English.

It's really difficult, almost mission impossible, to revive back Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of communication among Malaysians.

I look forward to more writings of yours. Thanks.

Ridzzy said...

Salam Demi Negara,

Got your blog link from another blog.

Wow! what have I been missing out on ?

This post is excellent! kudos!
It made me backtrack on your earlier posts and comments made.. but some commenters.. ayayayayaaaa! did the circus come to town or what?

But take the barrages you get, multiply it by 10 and it will equal the amount I get in real life from "certain people" being a non malay and sharing your sentiments. I actually briefly blogged about this not long ago.
http://ridzzy.blogspot.com/2008/10/lets-get-this-straight.html

I think something somewhere went wrong along the way, as you pointed out it was not like this back then.

We need to reclaim our beloved country.

Keep it up, i will be dropping to catch any updates!

PS - "At least Azalina Othman Said looked the part, with taekwando black belt, girlfriend and all."
LMAO!! That cracked me up.

Unknown said...

Dear Demi Negara,

I find you postings interesting and challenging. I think it is good Malaysians are challenged to question the very basis of their identity. Unfortunately very few are able to rise above the 'tribal group think' of both the institutions of State and their ethnic communities. So the process to evolve a Bangsa Malaysia "mindset" needs a complete re-orientation in the socialization process.The responsibility for this lies with all of us who claim to be Malaysians. We must first start by making sure that our 'public face' is a true reflection of our 'private face'!

BTW, has any one told you that your writing reminds them of Rehman Rashid + Saleh Ben Joned?
At least to me it does. Believe me if you are not either of this luminaries, then you are in rare company indeed.

Look forward to more challenging pieces.

Best Wishes

Anonymous said...

Bet that people are scared to comment now.

This post:

Its too bitter for some.

Yet too sweet to some.

Also it is very hot for others.

But I think no one can deny its pharmaceutical and therapeutical qualities.

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas,

May I make a suggestion here? With the way things are now, may I presume 50% of our Rakyat are not well versed with English, so may not be able to comprehend what is being written here.

Please make an effort to have these translated in;

1. Bahasa Malaysia
2. Chinese/Tamil for the benefit of those "so call Malaysians" who cannot even speak or write in Bahasa Malaysia or English.

TKS

Saya... said...

Pertinent points indeed.

Question 1:

What do you think of English for Science and Math within the context of the Sekolah Kebangsaan and in the bigger aim of enshrining the national language?

Question 2:

Arnie yodels??? In the shower??? The image of him yodelling in a milkmaid costume...nightmarish.

Hmmmm....Bobby Jindal COULD make it here as Chief Minister, IF he looks like Shah Rukh Khan, even though he can't speak a word of Bahasa MELAYU.

Anonymous said...

Spot On...

You made references to Kelantanese n the Baba's ability to integrate..

In the world of the kelantanese it's always us and "orang luar" n very clear distinction is made in the daily lives of the locals...but fully agree with on the Kelantan Chinese....but strangely not the Indians in Kelantan...n there's just a few of them around...

Ever seen a kelantanese stranger meets another in a foreign country....Vs a Malaysian Malay meeting an Indian Malaysian ....the kelantanese dialect linguistic effect is so profound ...a tight bond indeed

Then are we now on the road to total disintegration......We've seen failed nations before....typically engineered thru periods of hyperinflations where your bank balances move 4 or 5 decimal points to the left....

The key has always been to provide a percieved ability to maintain some form of economic stability....
if u want to keep it together..

Ever worked in an office where you are clearly the minority....ever gone to a workshop n somehow felt that you've been paid a bit more cause u didnt speak the language.

Say we want to move forward.How do u enforce such thing to adults??? To kids maybe but to an adult.....after a certain age the ability to absorb another language diminishes unless u need to speak it to survive and be able to get around a new country.....There will be an in-between generation before we fully become Malaysian with Malay as a common language...They will be the most important generation in Malaysia where true nation building happens....where hopefully we could stand together as brothers.....


To be able to achieve that something big must happen that affects all of them n the only way forward is to stick together and help one another....with a common objective.....closest thing to mind is a war with another nation...unless we want to go back to the early 1900's methods...

Are we going to be the in-between generations? Is this the time for required integration to find our unity?

Look around us, We are still playing stuck with politics of race whereas in our neighboring countries....the main undercurrents are religion which does not put a face on race....

Your tots on the Indonesian chinese...seems rather superficial perhaps due to lack sample data observation.....all was good n dandy under the New Order Gov of Suharto......now its a completely different picture...they have re-adopted their culture more than ever.....and this is after they had to run for their lives...in 98 where people were literally selling their cars for peanuts at the airport.....immigrants come and go....and trust me in a young country lacking any sense of belonging internal strife must be avoided at all cost...a direct path to ruin......again the trigger point shall be the major significant imbalances in economics factors affecting wealth distribution among races and a major abrupt asset repricing and prolonged period of value destruction.....

A short cut to becoming more Malaysian is to just adopt ENGLISH as our language....it links us more than any other language....One simple barometer is how difficult is it to get by for an English speaking Foreigner in Malaysia....Go to Jakarta the mat saleh must have some ability to speak the language....

Look at the foreign books....how many are translated into Malay??? How many new ideas are concieved entirely in Malay? Ask yourself when u wrote this as well...

when significant numbers of thought leaders of a generation think in another common language....then that is the language that truly connects them....go back to the 60's n 70's....look at the quality of their english....compared to what it is nowadays.....

We've failed with the experiment for a national language i think...we can try to fix it or we can offer a substitute that can be commonly accepted by all...


Guano ni abe? Pening mikir buke nok kato bahaso melayu tok boleh..but a bit too late and gonna be a wee bit difficult to implement......

N BTW u r just hillarious i loved your post on MT Readers

Salam
satD

Anonymous said...

Spot On...

You made references to Kelantanese n the Baba's ability to integrate..

In the world of the kelantanese it's always us and "orang luar" n very clear distinction is made in the daily lives of the locals...but fully agree with on the Kelantan Chinese....but strangely not the Indians in Kelantan...n there's just a few of them around...

Ever seen a kelantanese stranger meets another in a foreign country....Vs a Malaysian Malay meeting an Indian Malaysian ....the kelantanese dialect linguistic effect is so profound ...a tight bond indeed

Then are we now on the road to total disintegration......We've seen failed nations before....typically engineered thru periods of hyperinflations where your bank balances move 4 or 5 decimal points to the left....

The key has always been to provide a percieved ability to maintain some form of economic stability....
if u want to keep it together..

Ever worked in an office where you are clearly the minority....ever gone to a workshop n somehow felt that you've been paid a bit more cause u didnt speak the language.

Say we want to move forward.How do u enforce such thing to adults??? To kids maybe but to an adult.....after a certain age the ability to absorb another language diminishes unless u need to speak it to survive and be able to get around a new country.....There will be an in-between generation before we fully become Malaysian with Malay as a common language...They will be the most important generation in Malaysia where true nation building happens....where hopefully we could stand together as brothers.....


To be able to achieve that something big must happen that affects all of them n the only way forward is to stick together and help one another....with a common objective.....closest thing to mind is a war with another nation...unless we want to go back to the early 1900's methods...

Are we going to be the in-between generations? Is this the time for required integration to find our unity?

Look around us, We are still playing stuck with politics of race whereas in our neighboring countries....the main undercurrents are religion which does not put a face on race....

Your tots on the Indonesian chinese...seems rather superficial perhaps due to lack sample data observation.....all was good n dandy under the New Order Gov of Suharto......now its a completely different picture...they have re-adopted their culture more than ever.....and this is after they had to run for their lives...in 98 where people were literally selling their cars for peanuts at the airport.....immigrants come and go....and trust me in a young country lacking any sense of belonging internal strife must be avoided at all cost...a direct path to ruin......again the trigger point shall be the major significant imbalances in economics factors affecting wealth distribution among races and a major abrupt asset repricing and prolonged period of value destruction.....

A short cut to becoming more Malaysian is to just adopt ENGLISH as our language....it links us more than any other language....One simple barometer is how difficult is it to get by for an English speaking Foreigner in Malaysia....Go to Jakarta the mat saleh must have some ability to speak the language....

Look at the foreign books....how many are translated into Malay??? How many new ideas are concieved entirely in Malay? Ask yourself when u wrote this as well...

when significant numbers of thought leaders of a generation think in another common language....then that is the language that truly connects them....go back to the 60's n 70's....look at the quality of their english....compared to what it is nowadays.....

We've failed with the experiment for a national language i think...we can try to fix it or we can offer a substitute that can be commonly accepted by all...


Guano ni abe? Pening mikir buke nok kato bahaso melayu tok boleh..but a bit too late and gonna be a wee bit difficult to implement......

N BTW u r just hillarious i loved your post on MT Readers

Salam
satD

Anonymous said...

If i may add your observation on Bahasa Indonesia as the uniting language of the Indonesians....YES and No....for official use yes...but if u r in Java...language of choice is the 4 layers or Java depending where u r from

Can u imagine 2 kampung 3 KM apart dont understand the language of another....that is the reality of Indonesian racial and cultural diversity.....yes they call themself Indonesian.....but again they begin with their own Sub Race geographical classification like Acehnese, Madurese, Balinese...etc..etc...

As for our Malay and its dialects...i think i can safely say that all of us in the semenanjung can still understand one another...this one...same same jawa or betawi also cannot understand bro due to the need to personalise/localise such a communication tool.... the geographical factors of indonesian island play an important role is this diversity....3 km apart in remote parts Java or Irian Jaya is jauh gile..and very little interaction happens.....

But like u said....it is the "uniting" language of choice....

Unknown said...

Kijangmas dear

consequence of the separation perhaps?

thanks for this "animated" history lesson

been having withdrawal symptoms

superb posting!

Anonymous said...

Salute 110%.

It is sad that our atok2 dulu would consent on having Sekolah Cina & Sekolah Tamil to still exist on Tanah Melayu.

I praying that before my life is over, I could have the opportunity to chase these Cina-mari & Kalinga-mari into their boats back to where their atok2 mari dulu2. Gawd, do grant me this wish.

Otherwise, I do not see a solution, headche will persists; 51 years toooo late.


MRSM Kalae Chepo 66/73

Saya... said...

Lupa...

Question 3:

Do our leaders have the balls (five letter word) to do it?

I doubt it...takut hilang undi nanti...2012

Hmmm....

Anonymous said...

Kepada pemblog "Deminegara",

Saudara merupakan seorang yang berpemikiran cetek. Muhasabah diri dulu.

Din Kodeng

Nasirudin Anjud said...

Dear DemiNegara,
Wow, excellent piece of writing. You’ve arrived at a level where others including myself could only dream of. You are what we engineers would term as consultant of consultants.
Yes, Kelantanese are very cohesive units and are very ethnic conscious lot but once you get to know them better, they can become loyal lifetime friends as I did found out during my sekolah menengah and university days.
And the football parts invoke my memory of yesteryears though you kinda miss out Hassan Sani who did the ‘Cocok Hassan kepada James Wong’ that landed our Country a place in Olympic Moscow. Ah but then again maybe I’m just dreaming, maybe it never happen. Ah forget it. Your article is much more important than football.
Please continue sir, I await your next article. Keep fighting for our nation.

Anonymous said...

Deminegara has written with pathos his calling for the remalaynization of Malaysia.

Let's assume that takes place now and we wake up to a new Malaysia tomorrow where everything becomes all that he wishes for:

-will the government as we know today become cleaner, fairer and more efficient?

- will the economy improve for all the peoples because they now have a single identity?

- will students and their teachers be able to gain more knowledge in any field in order to improve themselves and the country?

- will the football team regain its past glories?

There are a hundred other questions. But these will do.

The blogger has only articulated half the story. The first half where all felt like malaysians. What has happened to the second half of the story where half the peoples were made to feel they were less than malaysians even as the other half had to force themselves to feel they were different from that half in order to come up in life?

Can the blogger pin down the zeitgeist of the country today? The zeitgeist says there is a fissure in the rubric of this country. And where did that fissure come from? From too many of the people not believing that conformity is the way forward because they have seen with their own eyes, experienced with the very pores of their own skin, and analysed with their own minds what has been happening year after year in this land. The complete loss of all standards - moral, ethical, political, cerebral, executional, foresightional, hindsightional, inter-rational, inter-racial, inter-religional, inter-cultural. You name it.

Would the blogger bet on a horse that has not only never won but can only be trusted to depict an inclination to jump the queue, vault over the side bar, and prance when it should trot?

If the tables are turned, would the blogger be also saying Yes to that sort of conformization?

Are standards so low in this country today that such an aspiration can be elevated to an art form regardless of realities?

And if it is submitted that unification to one conformed standard is the only way for the country to achieve greatness and identity as much other countries, how much more time is needed?

Another half a century?

With the onslaught of the new world at our gates, does any one of the 27 million today, including those residing in Kelantan and across its border, have even 1 minute grace?

It is like opening a restaurant. You are in for the business, to be precise, the money. The look of satiated satisfaction on the faces of the customers is a bonus. To set up that restaurant, you need money too. That money is colorless to start with. It doesn't fall from the sky, everyone knows that and that's why everyone has to work for it. Then you need a good cook who will not run away with the voluptuous waitress tomorrow. Then the right foodstuff, ingredients, utensils, tablecloth, menu, pricing and so on. Of course the location of the restaurant is important. All these things are important. So on opening day you stand and the door. The first potential customer turns up. He is looking for X. You say no X, only Y. He turns to go next door. You explain loudly that this is your restaurant, this is your menu, this is your price and this is you. Come in. The customer asks back, 'What are you in this business for, your beliefs or your customer's appetite?'

What is your answer?

But that is not the end of the story. After months your restaurant business is running dry. You wonder why and ask the workers. The pakistani offers some advice. He has a degree in restaurant management but works as a waiter for you because he needs the money to send home to an economy made poor by bad management and vice.

Your pakistani waiter says, 'Boss, why don't you break down every single thing that is to be done to run this business smoothly, and then remove whatever is wrong, and put in whatever is right, regardless of where the right thing comes from? It does not have to come from something that has your label. It can come from anywhere, even my country, my culture, my language, my beliefs. Why don't you try that for another six months? Maybe that will help you to improve our business.

Doesn't the blogger think this pakistani waiter will make head waiter after that next six months when the business has flourished because the boss has looked into himself first and then realized he is already blessed by good people around whose advice to do what must be done is just so right for everyone, including the customer, to be happier and more fulfilled in the end?

Maybe it is all because people don't look into themselves first that solutions from them become new problems in the end.

And the story shall end with this clause: if deminegara falls down by the roadside one day, soldadu will come to his aid, without expecting deminegara to return the gesture any time in the future. Why? because that's what soldadu-soldadu DO.

Anonymous said...

I hope the power that be in Malaysia read yr blog and do something about it. Btw, by emphasizing too much on Bahasa Malaysia, will it not jeopardise the advancement of Malaysia to be a progressive (and developed) nation in conjunction with the Vision 2020 ? Don't get me wrong, but, English is important as a tool for knowledge seeking as most books, reports etc are written in English. Do u have a solution for this ?

zazaland

Anonymous said...

Bangsa Malaysia died the day Razak and co decided that the medium of instruction in all national schools be changed to Malay.......thereby converting schools to quasi Malay kampongs and ghettoes. The sad truth is… minorities in Malaysia don’t accept this lingo as their "Onerous tongue" ...which is why mini Chinas and Tamil Nadus just got stronger since the Razak era. Had the dungus who call themselves politicians and "national leaders" had the vision and acted with less “nationalism” ....and stuck to the Singapore model.....Malaysia would have been different....Yes...Obama didn’t Swahili…he assimilated into American culture by first embracing its neutral language ...English......Malaysia should have done the same......it may be too late for Malaysia....the kampong language has creeped and made the natives even more lazy….the lingo has caused the Chinese and Indians to coil back to their shells…..schools which produced all those sports heroes hardly a generation ago…..will not produce them anymore….they are all stillborn at the school level. Malaysia will be a failed nation, for where national integration is supposed to take place first, schools…..are where kids are already taught they are different. English…the neutral language that bound Malaysians ….was blown to bits by Najib’s father for political ends…….there is now little hope of correcting this horrific error……there will be no national integration…..Malaysia has been a Yugoslavia since the early eighties….it’s disintegration is waiting to happen…..the folly of selfish politicians ….

kucau said...

to zazaland,

Yes English is Important. Thats why teaching of Science and Maths must continue in ENGLISH. We need that to progress in Science and Maths. I learned Maths and Science in Malay BUT bcoz of that i have to struggle in Medical School. My English now is just so so. Having said that ANYONE who cant speak proper Bahasa Malaysia is a traitor to this land. You can forgive anyone making grammatical mistake in English here in Malaysia, but do we forgive some Malaysian who cant speak proper, grammatically correct Bahasa Malaysia?

To Kijangmas,

Saya adalah pembaca setia blog anda , lunak bahasa dan tuturkata tinta- tinta digital anda memaut hati . Hujah yang bernas menusuk setiap otak-otak pembaca. Saya percaya walaupun amat pedas pada yang Asobiah pada bangsa mereka, hujah ini amatlah benar, tidak jumud dan tidak dapat ditolak oleh pemikiran yg sihat.

( berapa orang bukan melayu yang boleh tulis ayat-ayat biasa bahasa Malaysia seperti diatas? Berapa ramai yang boleh paham tanpa melihat kamus? )

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Kijangmas - you leave me speechless, and I am, under normal circumstances, voluble. Simply excellent.

Anonymous said...

I am speechless. Absolutely brilliant write up. Amazing in its brutal honesty. It hit home hard the reality of simmering racial hostilities in Malaysia.

I can run out of superlatives to describe your current posting.

Anonymous said...

Although your post is longer than what I actually read in a year, kudos to you.

Visit my blog and smash me

hikayatmamakbendahara.blogspot.com

my latest article
Malaysia’s Obama: Khairy Jamaluddin or Mukhriz Mahathir?

Bung Karno said...

Excellent reading.

But then there was no a Sukarno (Bung Karno) type 50 plus years ago to help draft the Bangsa Malaya (Malaysia).

Datuk Onn was for multi-racialism but that was for the party only (UMNO),and that was also rejected.

Everyone then have agreed that each race carry on with their religion, language, custom, business. So we have Sekolah Kebangsaan, Sekolah Cina, Sekolah Tamil, Sekolah Agama, and townships and trades and parties and associations for each race.

To-day's UMNO, MCA, MIC, DAP, PAS, UPKO, PBDS, PBB, are agents of this system.

To get to the Thai, Indonesian or American model, we have to rewind 55 years ago and get the Constitution rewritten. Who are most willing to give the most ? Is it Malay, Chinese or Indian to be the Bahasa Kebangsaan ? And the rest barred from the system ?

BaitiBadarudin said...

Hey, you're finally back and with such gusto, too.
Yes, I was disturbed by Astro's 2008 Olympics promo clips, but I must admit you said it best.
Believe me, this is the issue that I face every working day at a private university where the students argued that it's "democratic" to be talking in their "mother tongue" right under my very nose in lecture and tutorial classes.
Sorry to be skeptical but I've given up counter-arguing that it's "disrespectful" (in plain terms - RUDE) and am leaving for greener pastures where the leaders don't pretend to be "democratic" or "populist".
And to think that I once fancied myself to be a 'progressive' and a defender of 'multiculturalism'.
Salam alaikum, will however support this struggle in whatever way I can.

Anonymous said...

I feel this issue is global. UK, Australia, United States, Canada and so many other countries are facing similar problems.

I was having tea with 5of these Chinaman and guess what their viewe were over these matters? They laughed amongst themselves and blurted out “if China is to let go and flood into the world just 1% of their population he he he susah semua orang nanti”. They are actually making fun out of the nuisance created on host countries.

So beware, don’t get too taken in by their nonsense demands. Sememangnya parasites.

Strange but true, when OBAMA won the election, all references is on USA. What about their forefathers motherland? China or India?

They don’t like the way things were from their motherland, they don’t like the way things are in their host country…

These people never plan to change their ways, sudah jadi darah daging mereka, ini semua PUAK KETURUNAN DAYUS… Sampai ke anak cucu.

DAYUS

Pesanan Keramat said...

I love this posting and looking forward to hear more from you. I've put you on my blog list.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with KijangMas on the issue of one language, Bahasa Melayu (rather Bahasa Malaysia, though) as well as one type of school, sekolah kebangsaan for all. For those who raise the issue of Teaching Math and Science in, English, it is slightly different issue. What KijangMas is talking about here, is the reluctance and sheer arrogance of non-malays for not accepting and rejecting using Bahasa Melayu as lingua franca of this nation. This is really scandalous, I agree. For those, who have been to the US and stayed long enough there, would realised that there's no such thing as Chinese school, Tamil schools, German Schools. All they have is either public schools or private schools using one language, ENGLISH.

Oghe cino de indiya di Malaysia nih, besa ppalo, sebak oghe nayu bui muka banyok do oh. Cukup la, maghi kita pakat teke kerajee seblom telambat. Buat dasar so bahaso de so jenih sekoloh.

The new steps taken by the Perak State Government of putting three front desk officers representing three different race is laughable. If we were to go with that thinking, in the state of Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan they have to put a Thai-speaking officer to cater to Perlis, kelantanese dan kedah of thai descent. And it will go on and on. Simply what was done by the Perak state is plain stupid, an action that would perpetuate further racism. To think that in Malaysia, after 51 years of Independence, there are still so-called Malaysia who cannot speak Bahasa Melayu is a tragedy. It took only two month or son for the Bangladeshis and Myanmar works to learn Bahasa Malaysia and use the language confidently. What about the Malaysian non-Malays?

Artnone- As I See (S.I.C) 73-76

Mat Cendana said...

I had seen this post much earlier. In fact, just a few minutes after it was first posted (I'm one of those "without-a-real-life" people who are up at "irregular hours". With me, AM or PM isn't of much significance - might be most alert and productive when Pasir Mas time shows 3.45 AM. Or in a "tokleh nak buak kecek-kiro" state at 11 AM - a time when "regular people" are alert and busy at the office or undertaking "everyday real-life chores and duties".) Then - as with right now - all I'm going to say for the moment is:

This is possibly THE GREATEST POST and COMMENTS in a Malaysia-centric blog for 2008!

Somehow, I'm also PROUD - of this post, this blog and the writer. AND with some of the people who had left their comments too. Although I disagree with some of what Kijangmas had written - not only here but especially in some of the other posts - I'm terribly pleased that this Demi Negara blog is by someone who was/is from the East Coast state that I've pledged total allegiance to.

For what it's worth, I'd like to mention that his site and that of SAKMONGKOL AK47 are the ones that influenced me the most when it comes to "Malaysian Politics".

By adding Demi Negara, my attachment and strong sentiments towards Kelantan is further boosted, alongside the social and personal-centric blogs by Mohd Zawi - the most definitive person "of things Pasir Mas and Kelantan", with his excellent blogs of Pasir Mas: The Land of the Golden Sand and Life As I See It. (BTW he is possibly the only person ever to have met me, and knows the exact location of where I'm typing this. That's an achievement considering how reclusive I am) Anyway, back to the SIGNIFICANT matter - Kijangmas, this blog and this post.

As with the others here (and including the silent readers who only leave their footprints and shadows in the form of hits and visits), I'm curious to know who this "Kijangmas" is. I'm almost sure that a few people do know, by tying up this and that, with "from Kelantan" as the vital clue, of course. I'm smiling at this particular thought - the possibility of the "jantina" not being what most readers assume:-) Oh, don't worry - I can live without knowing about the identity - the WRITINGS are more important.

However, there are a few "other things" that I'd like to know from you, for I "have something" in mind. Hope this doesn't sound so "perasan" and presumptuous, but I believe they will bring about some benefit not just to the readers here but also to many other Malaysians. "How"? Can you give me your email address, please? Mine is, predictably enough, at cendana287ATgmail.com I hope you can help me out with this one.

Mat Cendana said...

There's a Kelantan-related link that I'd like to share with you and the readers here, with the tags of "Kelantan", "Chinese", "Indians", "Malays" as mentioned in the Post and Comments.

It's at that quite good directory/aggregator of Kelantan Bloggers. There's a short (by Kijangmas and my standards) item of Demographics that might be of interest.

Oh, to Kijangmas: Should you register there and carry its Kelantan Bloggers banner, the directory's prestige level will increase markedly:-) And this call is also issued to the other bloggers "directly or indirectly connected to Kelantan".

[BTW I hope some `rajin type' would start a similar directory listing for Kedah - that's my state too]

KijangMas said...

Sakmongkol,

Thanks for dropping by and being the first (again) to Comment. Oh yes, tahniah for your recent award by your DYMM Sultan. BTW, my older sis will be there as well. In fact, always there for such ceremonies as her other half is Tuanku’s nephew. Enough clue to KijangMas’ identity.

As for the perceived “mutual fan club” exchanges, I regard my critics and dissenters “fans” as well as they actually took the trouble to think and narrate their thoughts. Of course, many are beyond redemption, being products of non-mainstream (which I define as non-Malay centric) upbringing and education.

Teruskan Perjuangan.

----------

Anonymous (November 6, 2008 2:32 AM) said “Who are you or rather what are you??? Why did you come on late??. I was so intrigued and amazed by the power of arguament and the clear of thought in your write-up.”

Who or What I am doesn’t matter.

I’m doing my bit to knock some sense into my fellow citizens on what the heck it means to be a Rakyat Malaysia in our Tanah Air Tercinta.

----------

Anonymous (November 6, 2008 3:30 AM ) said: “Dengan hujah di atas, di harap semua pihak dapat berbangga menjadi bangsa Malaysia. Bukan Malaysian Malaysia … buka semula padang untuk anak-anak bermain bola supaya mereka dapat bercampur gaul sesama mereka.”

Ya saudara/i, konsep “Malaysian Malaysia” sebenarnya adalah satu muslihat songsang pihak anti-Melayu yg mahu menidakkan status Orang Melayu sebagai tunjak utama Negara Malaysia dan paksi kepada bahasa, budaya dan falsafah Negara kita. Yang anehnya, makhluk-makhluk ini tidak boleh menghuraikan secara terperinci apakah sebenarnya spesis “Malaysian Malaysia” yg di laungkan selamanya ini? Berbahasa apa? Berbudaya apa? Berfalsafah apa? Berkiblatkan negara induk mana?

Sudah lebih dua dekad saya berdebat panjang lebar dgn gerompolan penaja konsep “Malaysian Malaysia” tersebut. Sampai hari ini, mereka tidak dapat menjawab soalan-soalan saya yg amat asas, termasuklah kenapa makhluk “Malaysian Malaysia” ini harus bertutur dalam bahasa penjajah Malaya dulu atau dalam bahasa-bahasa “alien” negara China dan negeri Tamil Nadu tetapi bukan Bahasa MALAYSIA yang secara logiknya harus menjadi bahasa buat kaum baru MALASIAN MALAYSIA. Aneh sekali. Juga, tiada seorang pun penyokong “Malaysian Malaysia” ini boleh memberi penjelasan rasional yg bernas dan masuk akal kenapa mereka menentang keras segala usaha kerajaan untuk menyatukan anak-anak kecil “Malaysian Malaysia” tersebut – seperti penyatuan padang sukan dan kantin sekolah Kebangsaan dan sekolah Cina dan Tamil di mana anak-anak kecil kita dapat bergaul dan berkongsi suka-duka di pentas yg sama.

Pokoknya, “Malaysian Malaysia” apakah yg mereka impikan?

Sebenarnya, konsep “Malaysian Malaysia” ini tidak wujud sama sekali kerana ia berlandaskan bukan niat yg ingin membina Negara, TETAPI hanya semata-mata laungan retorik puak anti-Melayu totok yg menjelma sekali-sekala dan secara lantang dan angkuh mempertikaikan segala unsur dan acuan Melayu yg sudah sememangnya darah daging Negara kita tercinta.

------------

JMD said “Only when a nation is united through a common language can it go forward and progress to greater heights … But sadly, whenever there is a motion to unite the kids at school, the motion will be shot down by the very same people who would promote the solidarity of the vernacular schools.”

JMD, thanks for visiting and congrats on your 100th article plus your 222,222 km Alfa! I was an Alfista many many yrs ago. At the risk of being accused of running a mutual admiration society here, I must say your blog set the standard in objective analysis of complex socio-political issues plaguing our Tanah Air. And it has ruffled a lot of bigoted anti-Malay feathers who hitherto had a free rein of the blogosphere. Pantang undur, Sang Perwira; cucu Sri Rama kini di sisi mu.

Back to your comment above, yes, a COMMON LANGUAGE is THE key to national unity. And make no mistake, this common language shall be Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia as enshrined in our constitution, a language that is also the lingua franca of the Nusantara for over a millennium.

And yes again, the primary resistors to measures aimed at uniting our schoolkids are the very people who accuse the Malay Establishment of “racism” and whatnot while they steadfastly protect an ethnocentrist cocoon totally alien to the larger Malaysian social milieu. As long as these people continue to exist in physical, linguistic and cultural enclaves precipitated by their inherent immigrantesque “siege mentality,” the Malays and other Bumiputras will -- in perpetuity -- never accept them as fellow Rakyats of our Negara. Never.

------

wavedancer said “... why would ah chong or samy or saleh spek the national language when dollah badwi himself always speak english on national tv. so does muhyidin and all glc ceos. Kalu tak kecek ore putih tak hilir lah.”

Agree with your observation.

Sadly, Malaysians – including the educated Melayus -- have been programmed to equate English with “being enlightened” or in your Kelantanese, being hilir.

As long as we carry the burden of this mentality, we shall never as a people progress. Whenever I watch Malaysian TV, I can gauge a person’s educational level by the relative admixture of his/her language. Academics and assorted cendiakawans would speak the correct, unadulterated forms of both Bahasa Malaysia and English. By the time you slide down to the various bintang filems and artis pujaan, you will be served a jumbled mix-n-match creole of Melayu and Broken English, with Bahasa Malaysia sentences spiced with the “so” and “actually ah” and “is it” almost as a necessary measure to tell the audience that “saya nih pun tau orang putih jugek, bukan macam orang kampong.” But if you REALLY give them an English interview, they will fall flat on their faces, terbahak-bahak tak boleh jawab.

As for Pak Lah and other politicians, it depends on the context and audience. If they are responding to a Western reporter, so be it. Otherwise, their answer would be lost in translation somewhere in what I call the “Kim Jong Il – Ahmadinejad Effect,” where whatever these leaders utter would be translated in English as a “threat’ to the West. I would imagine something like:-

– Kim Jong Il: “Comrade, go get me a coke and a salami sandwich with extra kimchi.”
CNN translation: “General, go ready the Scuds and add a few more warheads.”

- Aide: “Dear Beloved Leader, no Coke, got Pepsi. Your salami’s with kimchi on the way.”
CNN translation: “Scuds launched. Now on the way.”

BUT as a policy, our leaders MUST address the audience (inc. local press) in Bahasa Malaysia. Go to Thailand and see this in real time. If you live in Kelantan, invest in a 10 feet pole antenna and aim northwest. Scan the six channels. 100% Thai. Try watching a Thai-dubbed Stallone in Rambo 25. Only exception is Yala’s Channel 11 where one hour a day is reserved for a Patani Malay news magazine to cater to the captive Malay region, and even that is nothing more than Thai propaganda imploring the Malays there to remain setio kepado yae maha mulio Paduko Sri Maharajo (the Thai king). The Thai PM and other officials will never utter an English word in official speeches or comments. In fact, even their Farang or Orang Putih reporters and talk show guests are fluent in Thai. Try calling the Bangkok Post and speak in English. You can almost taste the animosity on the other end.

Forget English, the trend in Malaysia nowadays is for ethnic-Chinese ministers to re-emphasise their official govt. pronouncements in MANDARIN and this would be replayed in Mandarin newscasts, hence negating the need to have a Bahasa Malaysia version altogether. Same thing with the Tamil cabinet members. I hope a Malay minister in Singapore can do this, bearing in mind that Bahasa Melayu is one of Singapore’s official languages. But Mandarin and Tamil have no official status in Malaysia and a govt. minister paid by taxpayers’ money has no business conversing in official functions in any other language but Bahasa Malaysia.

Indeed, Pak Lah and gang are the culprits! That’s why I said in my post not to salahkan kucing bila lauk kena curi.

Back to the language issue, I was in the U.S. during the height of the Cold War. I vividly recall a START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) conference between the old USSR and officials of the Reagan Administration, led by Sec. of State George Shultz. The Soviet delegation would present their points in Russian and the Americans would rebut in English. At one point, the American translator misquoted a couple of key phrases and this infuriated the legendary Soviet foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko. Gromyko called Moscow on his briefcase hotline (yeah, this was the pre-mobile phone era lah!), ostensibly to ask permission from Leonid Brezhnev. Gromyko suddenly came to life. In his booming voice on live American TV, Gromyko rehashed his position in perfect Queen’s English, stating point by point his country’s grievances and demands into the stunned face of George Shultz. You see, all this while, the Americans thought Gromyko (and Brezhnev, Tikhonov, Ryzhkov, Romanov, Gorbachev and other politburo dinosaurs) didn’t know English (except perhaps for choice parts of the anatomy or acts of copulation). And the Americans have been openly discussing their negotiating strategies and bluffs in English in earshot of these Soviets. Plus they have extensively uttered choice insults in English about Gromyko’s dour disposition and penchant for vodka and brunettes.

Needless to say, a flustered Shultz called off the mtg for that day to regroup ….. and never returned for the follow ups. The point here is -- your English fluency should not be a passport for your neglect of your country's official language.

Same scenario with my rudimentary knowledge of Thai. I treasure the look of Somchai’s and Siriphon’s faces when I began to speak Thai TWO hours after we began our business negotiations and after I’ve learnt of all their sleazy, slimy tricks to ship counterfeit items under the 10% real items in the container. All they could say after my “coming out” gambit was mai dai, mai dai, lod noi dai mai kaap. Khoon yuu meuuang thai maa naan thao rai laaeo kaap?

Moral of the story? Language is a skill. It’s a gift. Use what is appropriate and unleash the other(s) when necessary. Being eloquent in Bahasa Malaysia does not make one an English illiterate. Inversely, being English educated does not give one a license to forego his/her obligation as a Rakyat to master Bahasa Malaysia.

Anonymous said...

(S.I.C) 73-76 November 7, 2008 10:52 PM
"... steps taken by the Perak State Government of putting three front desk officers representing three different race ..."

Satu negara, satu bangsa, satu bahasa is new Malaysia's soul purpose here. They can place any number of desks, any number of officers, and use any number of languages they like AS LONG AS IT IS BAHASA MALAYSIA, the official language. State office business is official business.

If they do other than this, then it is an act of open provocation, open subversion and a glaring cari gadoh stance.

But then orang Melayu are meek, soft and submissive; takut mau gaduh one. They are always sopan santun and full of tatatertib.

KijangMas said...

Zhi Yuan said:-
“However, in the next generations after that, the 3rd,4th,5th,6th and so on, things will naturally start to deteriorate and typically, "the pendatang's descendance" will begin taking things for granted - thus the frequent comparison with Singapore on why can't we compete equally on an open arena, why can't we use English as a standard medium and why only a Malay can be the Prime Minister in Malaysia.”


Zhi Yuan,

We cannot use English as a “standard medium” because English is NOT the national language of Malaysia. English is also not the national language of China, nor of Japan or Korea or over 90% of the nations on earth.

The national language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia. There is no second, third, periphery or ancillary language in the Malaysian constitution.

This was decided by the framers of the Malaysian constitution and, indeed, a main determinant of citizenship of this country should be mastery of the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Same rules apply to China, Korea, Japan and anywhere else. Perhaps those who prefer to speak English as a “standard medium” should seriously contemplate trying their luck in Ozland or NZ. I don't think the "natives" there would be too amused with your Mandarin or Tamil and I don’t think your Crocodile Dundee neighbours would tolerate any SRJK(C)and SRJK(T) in their precinct, and that’s assuming the govt. actually allow such sacrilege of their education system in the first place.

Who said only a “Malay” can be the PM of Malaysia? Any Malaysian can be the PM of Malaysia as long as – as exhaustively expounded in my posting – this person truly and honestly become an Anak Bangsa Malaysia that speaks Bahasa Malaysia as a first language, assumes Malay-centric adat and budaya and is not a champion of the way of life, language, culture and identity of another faraway foreign nation. Yes, any Malaysian that fits these criterion can be PM.

All five PMs plus one PM-in-waiting are products of this Bangsa Malaysia social engineering. The Tunku’s mother is not only a Siamese, but a Korat T’ai (the real, unadulterated pulut eating Orang Siam totok). But the Tunku was brought up as a Malay prince and the rest is history. Tun Razak’s family is of Bugis stock, hailing from faraway Makassar in Sulawesi. But again, they became Malays in spirit and soul and don’t go around demanding SRJK(Bugis) schools in Pekan. Hussein Onn’s grandmother was Turkish. Did he appeared as a Falafel-eating, water-pipe smokin’ Anatolian? Of course not. His father, the half-Turk Dato’ Onn in fact started UMNO. You cannot be more Malay than that. Dr. M we already know the story. No need to add. Now, Pak Lah is interesting. His father’s side is Meccan Arab. His mother’s father is Hainanese. I don’t see much “Malay” in him but last time I checked he's been the PM since 2003. Plus soon Najib. Like his father, he is of Bugis extraction.

So why you say “why only a Malay can be the Prime Minister in Malaysia”?

What the heck is a “Malay” really? These PMs are people who consciously decided to be an Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Melayu dan berlandaskan budaya Melayu. That’s all. “Melayu” is inclusive. “Melayu” can be applicable to anyone. That’s why we have phrases such as “Masuk Melayu.” You cannot Masuk Cina or Masuk India but you can Masuk Melayu. How more democratic do you want us to be?

So whose fault is it then?

Look at your father, uncles and aunties. Go ask them if they intend to be an Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Melayu dan berlandaskan budaya Melayu anytime soon?

No?

Ok, then don’t ask the question “why only a Malay can be the Prime Minister in Malaysia.” Unless you’re accepted by 68% of the country’s population of Malays and other Bumiputras, you can never be PM. This is a democracy where majority wins. Its not a complicated race-base, quota-filling, pro-Malay mythology.

You want the Malay majority to accept you as their PM, you must be Malay-like lah. If you carry yourself like Unker Kit or Miss Kok, why the heck should the Malay majority even give you the time of day?

So a half-Korat T’ai has been PM, a semi-Bugis has been PM, a quarter Turk has been PM, a part-Keralan has been PM and an Arab-Hainanese hybrid has been PM and soon a part-Bugis son of the semi-Bugis would be PM. You cannot be more democratic than THAT!

You Chinese and Tamils are the odd men out and you only have yourselves to blame. You just cannot have it both ways -- unrepentant Kwangtungites and Tamil Naduans PLUS wanting to be PM of Persekutuan Malaysia at the same time.

Ini macam mana boleh? Mana boleh kautim.


Zhi Yuan further said: “Having saying all this, the blames cannot just be pointed at the non-Malays. As highlighted by Tun Mahatir in his interview with Utusan Malaysia, his biggest regret is failing to change the 'tidak apa' mindset of the Malays. There is now a new generation of Malays who are not at all being competitive whether in Education or in the Business arena. It's important for us to understand that it is also within our human instinct to seek equality and fairness. In some scientific research, even a typical 3 years old children understand the concept of fairness ... Combine these two human instincts together - of thinking short term and seeking equality, this is why the majority of the Chinese and non-Malay are unhappy with the political or economic situations in Malaysia.”

Zhi Yuan,

I agree with Dr. M. Many Malays still have the “tidak apa” attitude. My reply: so what? Why you worry? Apasal lu dengki? The natives always act this way. The Burmese has a proverb, “Tickle the soil and it will bear fruit.” See, life is easy for natives of Southeast Asia. If they want to remain lazy, what can you do? Why must YOU take it upon yourself to question the laziness of these people? You pay for their upkeep? Pls don’t start talking about using YOUR tax money. For every ringgit you Chinese pay taxes, you siphon OUT 10-20 ringgits in pure capital outflow. You as a group are a COST to doing business and to corporate governance in this country. Yup, truth hurts. Go to M.Today for cosy comfort.

You can shout for “equality” for the next millennium and you will not get it in this country. The only way you can get “equality” in Malaysia is if you become an Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Melayu dan berlandaskan budaya Melayu. Then miraculously all barriers will come tumbling down as you beat a path to the promised land of supreme citizenship. Look at the smug faces of Abdul Azeez Raheem, Reezal Naina Merican, Nor Mohd Yakcop, Zainuddin Maidin,Dr. Zambry Yahya, Shahrizat Jalil, Khadir Sheikh Fadzir and other newly minted Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Melayu dan berlandaskan budaya Melayu. See. They get it. They know what it takes to thrive in Malaysia via their acts to Masuk Melayu. Where would they be if they still insists on glorifying a make-belief heritage in Tamil Nadu and Kerala?

Zhi Yuan also said: “You may call me a skeptic, but I can't see how any leaders in the future could repair this damage which has already been done to all Malaysian's mentality. I noticed that i usually speak English with my Malay friends. All MNCs' official spoken language in Malaysia is English. Even the urban Malays now has already 'accepted the fact' that the only way to communicate with non-malay Malaysians is through English ... It's really difficult, almost mission impossible, to revive back Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of communication among Malaysians.”

Look, when I say Bahasa Malaysia should be the first, household language of all Anak Bangsa Malaysia, I did not call for a blanket ban on English in our daily interactions. You as a member of the “lost generation” obviously cannot imagine scenarios involving MNCs communicating in Bahasa Malaysia or a bunch of West Coast urbanites chatting in anything but Manglish. The Dutch felt the same in the ‘Dutch East Indies” prior to Indonesian independence and the French felt the same as well in their Indochina colonies.

Social engineering takes 1-2 generations. It is not for us to reenact future scenes with our social groups, the same way Sir Frank Swettenham on horseback in 1900 cannot imagine the “Malay laggards, Chinese thieves and Indian drunkards” propelling old Malaya to where it is today!

------

Ridzzy said: “I think something somewhere went wrong along the way, as you pointed out it was not like this back then.”

Ridzzy,

The biggest culprit was and is VERNACULAR SCHOOLING. I cannot stress it more. Again, the biggest culprit was and is VERNACULAR SCHOOLING.

How can a country consciously DIVIDE its young people into three or more educational streams and expect these kids to grow into adults who could interact normally with products of other streams?

Try putting an 8 yr old Malay kid next to an 8 yr old ethnic-Chinese kid schooled at the SRJK(C). They cannot even communicate, with the Chinese kid the first to run crying to momma. Now add ten yrs to these kids and imagine them at the local U. YouTube has its fair share of this collision course of purported fellow Warganegaras of this country.

------

SAJ said “Unfortunately very few are able to rise above the 'tribal group think' of both the institutions of State and their ethnic communities. So the process to evolve a Bangsa Malaysia "mindset" needs a complete re-orientation in the socialization process.The responsibility for this lies with all of us who claim to be Malaysians. We must first start by making sure that our 'public face' is a true reflection of our 'private face!”

SAJ,

Thanks for visiting.

Agree. The process towards creating this Bangsa Malaysia would not be easy, perhaps traumatic and distruptive to some. But it is the current price some must pay for a meaningful future stake in our blessed land.

Socio-reengineering is an ongoing process. Countries change all the time, as the people strive to build social cohesion and political stability. Change is inevitable. And those who refuse to change and adapt will need to find other lubang keluar from their predicament. This is natural. I’m sure some totok and of the Bukit variety will carry their transient heritage and wander somewhere else. That’s part of human dynamism.

Oh, I’m neither Rehman Rashid nor Saleh Ben Joned. Perhaps I’m better lookin’. 

----------

To Tam Dalyell,

Yup, many people in Malaysia have it too good for too long.

They are due this bitter medicine ……… for the good of themselves and their progenies.

More bitter pills to come.

------

TKS said:-
“May I make a suggestion here? With the way things are now, may I presume 50% of our Rakyat are not well versed with English, so may not be able to comprehend what is being written here … Please make an effort to have these translated in;
1. Bahasa Malaysia
2. Chinese/Tamil for the benefit of those "so call Malaysians" who cannot even speak or write in Bahasa Malaysia or English.”

Interesting idea.

1. If a person can already read Bahasa Malaysia, then I don’t think this message need to be conveyed to them as they are already practising Anak Bangsa Malaysia. The reason for the translation would then plausibly be to “inform” them that someone out there actually wrote this to “shake-up” the un-amalgamated, non-Bahasa Malaysia literate citizens of this country.

2. Ok, more logic here. Any volunteers out there. Perhaps Balan Kumar of the excellent From Kluang to KL blog could assist. See his re-posting on the need to close down all Tamil schools here.

KijangMas said...

Malaysian Tigress said: “What do you think of English for Science and Math within the context of the Sekolah Kebangsaan and in the bigger aim of enshrining the national language?”

Science and Math should be in Bahasa Malaysia in ALL schools. I’m a product of the Sekolah Kebangsaan where I learnt my bangkali and sifir plus did my ujikaji using the penunu Bunsen and I don’t think it has adversely affected my intellect nor my potentialities in later life.

Look, we must view language here in the far bigger context of national integration, national identity, national cohesion. That is our PRIORITY for now.

There is no point in having kids who know English math and science terms BUT at the same time fed a thick sludge of Mandarin and Tamil content that has no purpose in Malaysia except to satiate the bigotry of their chauvinist ill-advised parents and grandparents.

Like I’ve said, there should only be ONE school system in Malaysia, and that is the Sekolah Kebangsaan system taught in Bahasa Malaysia.

This is a foundation that cannot be compromised. The alternative? Go to any mall and look around and see the “products” of these compromises by our leaders of the past 10-20 yrs – groups of “aliens” with nothing in common with one another except their common MyCards that proclaim their Warganegara.

-------

satD said:-

“Ever worked in an office where you are clearly the minority....ever gone to a workshop n somehow felt that you've been paid a bit more cause u didnt speak the language.”

I hear ya brother. I hear ya.


satD said:-

“Say we want to move forward. How do u enforce such thing to adults??? To kids maybe but to an adult.....after a certain age the ability to absorb another language diminishes unless u need to speak it to survive and be able to get around a new country.....There will be an in-between generation before we fully become Malaysian with Malay as a common language...They will be the most important generation in Malaysia where true nation building happens....where hopefully we could stand together as brothers ... Are we going to be the in-between generations? Is this the time for required integration to find our unity? Look around us, We are still playing stuck with politics of race whereas in our neighboring countries....the main undercurrents are religion which does not put a face on race.... ”

As I’ve said, socio-engineering on this scale would take 1-2 generations. The adult non-Malays (young and old) would be a “lost generation” unless they themselves adapt and adjust to the new realities. I for one do not underestimate the capacity of the Chinese to adapt to ANY scenario thrown at them. The Thais did it viciously in the late 1930s but the ethnic-Chinese there took the hits, became “Thais” and continue to dominate the economy. Its ok because they are now Thais who cannot speak a word of Chinese. Same thing for the Indonesian Tionghuas. I have a feeling the Malaysian variety would rise to the challenge and become a Bahasa Malaysia speaking anak Bangsa Malaysia in no time IF it is a matter of self-preservation and economic survival.

satD also said:-

“Guano ni abe? Pening mikir buke nok kato bahaso melayu tok boleh..but a bit too late and gonna be a wee bit difficult to implement......”

Gini kawé. Bilo abé kato kito keno semo kécék Bahaso Malaysia, buké niak abé tok sé bui kito kécék atawo baco bok oghé laing. Kalu tepakso, bok baso Jermae pong keno baco. Tapi hok abé tok sé kelih ialah pokpok buké Nayu ni hok doh seratuh tahong beghanok pinok di Bumi Tanoh Melayu kito nih tapi masih lagi toksé dé tok péhé Bahaso Kebangsé'é kito.
Abé kecik dulu kécék Kelaté sapa tadika omo limo tahong. Sepatoh pong tok tau baso Melayu standard. Cikgu kato “tilam” abé kato lémbék. Habih bbedé betih keno bedaa ko cikgu! Tapi dé besa, buleh jugok kécé Inggereh sapa gi belaja dé caghi pitih di Amerika betahong-tahong sapa kayo ghayo. Gaak? Pokoknyo (buké buoh nyo), Bahaso Malaysia jadi asas Bangsa Malaysia. Hok tuh penting. Lepah tuh, nok tamboh baso gapo pong tokpo. Lagi banyok, lagi kelah. Ko guano?

satD also said:-

“If i may add your observation on Bahasa Indonesia as the uniting language of the Indonesians....YES and No....for official use yes...but if u r in Java...language of choice is the 4 layers or Java depending where u r from … Can u imagine 2 kampung 3 KM apart dont understand the language of another....that is the reality of Indonesian racial and cultural diversity.....yes they call themself Indonesian.....but again they begin with their own Sub Race geographical classification like Acehnese, Madurese, Balinese...etc..etc...”

Yes, that’s my point.

Imagine if what became Indonesia didn’t have Malay as a lingua franca even between kampungs and desas across the danau?

These Acehnese, Madurese, Balinese and others are proud people with over a thousand yrs of culture and will not give way to each other’s language when they interact – hence, came Bahasa Melayu that was and is acceptable to all.

The same logic should apply to Malaysia, more so that it is actually enshrined in the constitution.


------

Omong,

As usual, thanks for your support.

-------

To MRSM Kalae Chepo 66/73,

Keep praying my friend.

If all else fail, your prayers MUST be answered.


-------

Din Kodeng said: “Saudara merupakan seorang yang berpemikiran cetek. Muhasabah diri dulu.”

Silakanlah huraikan secara terperinci fakta-fakta yg menimbulkan pendapat anda sedemikian.

Lepas itu kita berbincang secara bernas dan berhemah.

-----

Nasirudin Anjud said:-

“Yes, Kelantanese are very cohesive units and are very ethnic conscious lot but once you get to know them better, they can become loyal lifetime friends as I did found out during my sekolah menengah and university days.”

Absolutely my friend.

During my graduate studies at THE major university in Los Angeles, five of us Kelantanese lived in the same ramshackle house in a tough part of the city. One time on 31st August we raised the Kelantan flag at the porch entrance. One of the neighbours (being a typical geography-ignorant American) thought we had raised the USSR flag (this was in 1987 at the height of the Cold War where a couple dozen Soviet ICBMs were aimed at my bed 24/7) and the LAPD came over to question us. We ended up giving these cops in two squad cars a geography lesson. One was a Filipino immigrant who was curious about anything Kelantanese, especially the fair damsels, but that’s another story for another blog …

Nasirudin Anjud also said:-
“And the football parts invoke my memory of yesteryears though you kinda miss out Hassan Sani who did the ‘Cocok Hassan kepada James Wong’ that landed our Country a place in Olympic Moscow.”

Hey bro, of course I didn’t forget my favourite player, Hassan Sani, the speedster from Labuan (I think). The 11+1 players that I named was the team that played in the 1977 SEA Games final against Thailand. Hassan Sani had not broken into the national team at that time due to the tremendous talent at the country’s disposal then. Apart from Hassan Sani, other notable players from that generation include (I’m typing from memory here) Rashid Hassan, Nik Fauzi, Reduan Abdullah, Yip Chee Keong, G. Torairaju, Rosmaini Mohd. Shah, Hamidon Abdullah, Marzuki Ismaun, Abdullah Ali, Nasir Ibrahim and D. Devandran.

------

Zazaland said:-
“I hope the power that be in Malaysia read yr blog and do something about it. Btw, by emphasizing too much on Bahasa Malaysia, will it not jeopardise the advancement of Malaysia to be a progressive (and developed) nation in conjunction with the Vision 2020 ? Don't get me wrong, but, English is important as a tool for knowledge seeking as most books, reports etc are written in English. Do u have a solution for this ?”

Hi Zazaland. Nice to hear from you.
As I’ve mentioned, Bahasa Malaysia will form the base upon which a cohesive, united Bangsa Malaysia will emerge. This language base begins in school. English, of course, will be taught as a key subject (perhaps further enhanced in scope and content) and would form the key support medium.

BTW, I personally think English is overrated. We are just reacting to things. What has England invented lately? And most American innovators and tycoons I meet speak with foreign accents. I’ve learnt more from the Japanese and Koreans and many Europeans who collectively speak less English than my 9 yr old than I’ve ever learnt from a native English speaker. So we need to be moderate here. English is obviously an important tool of knowledge and commerce. But no tribe, no people will just crumble to dust and die off due to lack of English skills. And in the Malaysian context, I don’t see a future Anak Malaysia whose English would be worst than the Indonesians, Thais, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc. We are way ahead of these people and shall remain so. The scare tactics by anti-Malay Si Qiu or Dong Zhong or whatever association are just pure, unbridled propaganda to counter Bahasa Malaysia in schools, to be replaced by ……… nope not our magical all-important English, but by Mandarin. So what was the argument again? We are beyond square one on this one. We are off the roulette wheel!

BUT notwithstanding all other considerations, the need to have a reasonably homogenous, cohesive Bangsa Malaysia surpasses ALL other needs until such time where we achieved this goal that is already 51 yrs too late.
There is no point in having a “progressive and developed nation” that lacks an identity; where the fragmented populace languish in mutual contempt; where the non-Malays are confused as to their identity and allegiance; where the heart and soul and spirit of the nation itself are demarcated along sickening racial and cultural lines; ……… I can go on.

Malaysia has got it backwards. And in the order of nature, anything done inverse to the “norm” will ultimately unravel and crash. We must go back to the drawing board and do what our previous 2 generations had neglected.

Only then can we even contemplate progress and development and all the trappings of a cohesive nation united by a single vision.

Anonymous said...

Dear Deminegara,
First time posting comments in any blog. Couldn't help but agree with sakmongkol ak47 and JMD on your presentation and analysis. KUDOS TO U. Sadly missing from our current scenerio are the "Pahlawans" who would be going around " white washing " all street signs not in bahasa as had been done in early 70's. Turun la mai Penang. Dah kelam kabut dah ni.
Mulut dah kena tutup dan tangan dah kena ikat Ka?

Anonymous said...

Bravo! A powerful piece. You have burst the multi-racial, multi-cultural bubble! And revealed the hypocrisy of the Malaysian Malaysia ideology.

I just want to let you know that I have posted a comment on chedet on Thursday quoting some paras from your post. I have duly made reference to your blog. I hope this is ok with you. You write so well - so powerfully persuasive (and garang too).

On the topic of Bangsa Malaysia, like the previous PMs and current PM, my family is a true Bangsa Malaysia. My ancestors are of mixed race. In fact, there’s not much Melayu in our bloodline but we’ve assimilated totally and we consider ourselves Melayu although we certainly do not look it. We don’t even look like any of the major races in Malaysia. People just can’t tell. My brother gets mistaken for a Mat Salleh celup, my other brother Korean, me Pan Asian (huh? sesat), my sister Benghali and my other sis Taiwanese. There are many inter-racial marriages in our family line it’s like United Nations. Some people thought we’re tourists! But we still consider ourselves Melayu. Except for our looks, we are Malay in every way. Until today, people are still surprised when I say I’m Melayu lah. To them it’s like a big deal. To me we are what you would call Bangsa Malaysia.

What made it easier for my ancestors to assimilate was perhaps because we were first and foremost Muslims. And when my ancestors married someone of a different race and religion, their spouses converted to Islam. They retained their mother-tongue but they learned Bahasa Melayu quickly and used Bahasa Melayu as the primary language at home.

If only more families had the foresight of our forefathers, perhaps we’ll all be bangsa Malaysia now.

Pink Shades

P.S. It was worth the really lonnnnggg wait for your post!

Anonymous said...

Salam KijangMas..

We need to wake up more tigers....

Both u n JMD have been the beacon of hope.....setting up the standards....not many have been able to do the same within such a short time....

If we were to look back at the countries you've mentioned....they all share something in common....the fought hard to get their independence....pushed away the colonial powers.....we on the other hand...did fight but instead choose to negotiate with our colonial masters.....

Had we driven the brits away with force do u think we would inherit their typical divide n conquer strategy(thats how they managed to rule india with less than 500 people for years) which is the root problem of the mess we have now....

hok pase tokpek tok reti kecek tu meme ambo beci bena..gi kelik negaro mu balik la..setuju...pasa bahaso kita dulu baru bahaso laing buat serupo ora rusia...kadekade ambo mikir kalu bole kecek cino tok tau gapo demo dok kato ko kito depa muko kito...demo tu sebenanyo takut ko kito kalu kita bole kecek bahaso dio.....

Hok serabutnyo our spineless politicians who would rather not face this issue head on...they just dont have the political will do to so n the racist opposition would harp on the issue n misdirect the whole discussion into preserving their own's culture instead of the greater good.....

Imagine this after 51 years how come someone could not have done something with this issue??? Lets say we go back to days after NOC..could they have not tot of the same thing.....THAT WAS THE RIGHT MOMENT....but instead here we are....sad...sad ....

Takecare KijangMas look forward to more in yur face tot provoking post from u

Wass
satD

Saya... said...

Andrei Gromyko, George Schultz, wow...what a flashback,man... quite like post traumatic stress syndrome...and I thought I was born yesterday!

Talk about momnesia!

Awww, am I that old??...those were the fun days...the world leaders had character! And the boogeymen were for real.

Now we have Bush and Putin and I don't even recall who the new British PM is Blue? Brown? Linda Blair?...getting bland!

Anonymous said...

Memang KijangMas,

I sokong 200% on why should they feel jealous? kononnya the British claimed us Malays as “LAZY”. Si Mat Salleh tu, ada udang sebalik TIN-GETAH, mereka yang sebenarnya banyak goyang kaki. Kerghah Pak Itam2 macam hamba abdi bekalkan todi bagi sentiasa mabuk, kerghah Pak Kuning guna OPIUM bagi gian supaya mereka lagi lajin.

Pak Kuning kerja kuat, pasai kena hantak duit bagi Tok Moyang dan kerabat yang tak dapat cari rezeki diNegara sendiri. Mat Salleh ni pekena semua orang. Cara hidup kita relax, depa jealous, katakana kita MALAS!!

And the tons of riches they so called made, I don’t think hard work has anything much to do with it, they maintain 2sets of accounts. Banyak tipu IRD lor!

And their children, memang nampak rajin belajar…hantak tiusyen merata cerok.. 4orang anak, hah, sampai RM1.5K terpaksa belajar bertubi2 BM/BI, walaupun ke Tabika Cina dan SJK(Cina) sampai lapan tahun! Bila PMR/SPM results kaput juga. Yes, kelohan ini datang dari mulut mereka sendiri.

They claim themselves to be hardworking? Gone are those days! Tak ader kuli dari Indonesia, Mynmar, Vietnam, patah tangan APEK. Guna kuli illegal bercambah. Tokey duk kat kaunter cashier saja. And when they get together, all they talk about is nombor ekor, tikam segalanya, berjudi TIAP hari.

Memandai puji diri LAJIN, keji olang lain MALAS!

TONGKANG

Anonymous said...

Hi KijangMas,

Congratulations! As you may already know, your blog has been mentioned in The Star today 9th Nov on page F27 in an article titled “Windmills of Political Change” by Suhaini Aznam. I quote, “Jebat Must Die, Demi Negara, Chedet are all very influential, he added.” Very influential indeed. My three favourite blogs!

Congrats!

Pink Shades

Anonymous said...

A very good article indeed. Wonder why you did not use Bahasa Malaysia to write the article considering you are a Malaysian and you are lobbying for the language to be used as the uniting language.

Yes, having one language is good but that does not mean that people of other race should not be speaking their own language. Language is like art. People should be free to learn and speak in any language they wish to, as long as they accept the national language as the common language in your case Bahasa Malaysia.

I live in Australia. Yes, majority know how to speak in English but this does not mean the Chinese community, Italian community, Indian community and Arabic community do not speak their language or celebrate their festivals. In fact, most government organisations have translation services for most ethnic languages for those who are not proficient. Even when you go for drving test, if you can't speak English you are allowed to choose someone who can speak your own language.
These ethnic communities very much observe their culture. Chinese new year is celebrated in certain suburbs with lion dance with council participation. Same goes with Deepavali celebrations.
For example, in the company I work, for Chinese New year, we have celebration with decorations with everyone participating in the celebration.
Recently at work I was involved in a stressful project with tight deadline. We use to play music whenever we need to chill out after a stressful day. As the team comprised of Australian of Italian origin, Australian of French origin, Australian of English origin, Australian of Chinese origin and Australian of Indian origin, we use to play songs from these different languages and appreciate the diversity and richness of music from these cultures. We have open discussion about differences in our race and culture.

Now, language is only part of the problem in Malaysia. The biggest problem in my opinion is the discriminating government policy that helps only one ethnic community.

It's funny that when it comes to jobs and education, privileges are given with excuses that Bumis are backward and need help. But when it comes to sports, all races are expected to participate fully. If you don't you are branded as unpatriotic to the country. Why don't the government introduce the quota system on sports participation as well, lets help the Bumis to excel in here as well.

In Australia people are happily assimilating because the government policies are fair to all citizens regardless of race and religion. All citizens get equal opportunity in education, employment and business. There is freedom of speech, freedom to speak your own language with English being the national language and freedom to observe etnic culture. When such freedom is given, naturally people assimilate as there's no fear of losing their identity.

Malaysia is the only country that I know of that has racist policies therefore in my opinion deserves what it gets.

Anonymous said...

Ah it’s good to be back commenting. For once I thought your site have been reduced to some kind of Kembang Setaman pages, with some readers vying with one another flinging out terms of endearments across continents, and Jungian innuendos feeding the lovey-dovey amores seeking digital love. I suddenly felt … out of place! LoL!

The issue of language is of utmost social importance. As a Floyd once mentioned (If I am not mistaken, it was elder brother Pink), for millions of years man has ruled this planet until one day, he suddenly did the unthinkable: he began to talk. An acute anthropological observation indeed, coming from a trio of rowdy millionaire liverpudlians: because it was only after talking did man start to build civilizations. And reeling forwards to today, by allowing inhabitants of this country to communicate via numerous mother-tongue languages not understood by everybody, we are treading the reverse of progress in a babelic confusion of information exchange.

Thuswith do we find Kijangmas’ take on an issue which I think is at the heart of the inter-racial divide in this country. Perhaps it is a best kept secret of some sort: if only DAP had championed the cause of a single unifying language, culture and economic fairness in their drive for a “Bangsa Malaysia” instead of chauvinistically championing their Hainaneseness or Hokkienness or pushing the drive for singular-language roadsigns rather than what that Kok woman was proposing, this country could have been in the hands of oppositions for quite some time already. But I don’t mind to be wrong on that.

Before I comment on the salient point of this article I would like to point out (in the usual, mischievous, Apocryphalist way) the tickled laughter I got reading some of your readers’ comments. Especially that guy who prides himself in constructing what he thinks as neo-perfect Bahasa Malaysia sentences by infusing a couple of arab words Jumud and Assobiyah. This was a trend started out, among others, by Anwar Ibrahim in his early UMNO years when he spoke in Parliament using Arabic jargons in his Bahasa orations that left everyone dumbfounded: the opposition could not know when to slide in and criticize, and the government backers did not even know when to applaud. Well, good political strategy though: if you can’t be good in facts then be verbiage with jargonries!

Yes, sometimes we do have a penchant for anything wordy in our efforts to convey. Am reminded by that Lat cartoon wherein he sets in a French Restaurant and someone suggested Turbotin de Fits as a palatable ordering choice and found out that it was nothing but fried ikan kurau. Am also tickled pink by a friend who landed in a Hawaiian restaurant and the proprietor asked him if he would like to try their special …(some sophisticated culinary verbiage…), a kind of vegetable which was rarely found in the western world. When the order came and he found out it was just kangkung goreng he reminded the man that in his country, these “rare vegetables” are found near longkangs and gutters.

But let’s get to the language issue shall we. Having in agreement with Kijangmas in making Bahasa as the solid communications language for inhabitants, I must register my difference here regarding the use of Bahasa in English and Maths. There are many reasons I can think of in still keeping the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English. But before I express my views I would like to remind that one can only take this language patriotism up to a certain degree. One must not forget that as Malaysians we are patriotic, yes, but as citizens of the world we also owe ourselves to communicate with the outside world. By communicate here I simply mean two: to be understood whenever we speak to the world, and, more importantly, to understand whenever the world speaks to us, especially in the realm of science and education.

Now the only way one can excel in Science and Mathematics in the global participation of these disciplines and bypassing the use of English is via translations. (The other alternative: to produce original scientific ideas, literature and technological products totally in-situ and in Bahasa Malaysia is totally and ridiculously wishful thinking, and I don’t care if anyone tells me I am unpatriotic when I say that). But believe me, Kijangmas, the scientific world out there is a tad more involved than a tingkatan-1 Penunu Bunsen. The rate of production of Scientific ideas, ergo the scientific terminologies that accompany them, is very copious---much more than the rate at which one can translate them. There are scientific terms which haven’t even been translated yet. I was once tasked by DBP to translate two text books for use in our local universities: one in Civil Engineering and the other in Plant Physiology. After several months of toiling, we completed them, only to receive the announcement by the ministry that both books are no longer used in university curriculums: they are outdated. Heck, let’s not talk about new books. New editions of the same book are coming out almost every other year. What are we to do then. Keep translating?

And let me share with you something I found out regarding these university translators: some of them, it’s as though they would like their excellence to be measured by the amount of translations they do and the sophisticatedness of their transliteration works. Oh yes, they might be able to come up with a whole volume of “Relativistic Quantum Fields” and are already perhaps in the discipline of High Energy Physics. They’ll come up with flowery scientific translations of words alright but to come up with a single contribution in that field, haram jadah!!

Anyway, what I want to know is this. What’s wrong with Ultra Violet or Floppy Disks? Why must we use Ultra Lembayung or Cakra Liut? Do we want to communicate or impress? If the former, then to whom? If the latter, then to whom? Or could it be that, deeply entrenched in our psyches, Science and all its relatedness, is an internal issue: a closed-form discipline that no outsiders should interfere, where we can brag and impress our like-minded kampong audiences, too chicken and too little to even stand on the same platforms as world workers in that discipline? where in a totally bahasa-dominated scientific scenario we are King of the Hill, and perhaps elated by the false feelgood fact that outsiders cannot even begin to criticize and comment our “scientific” treatises in our own language, much like how those DAPs were stumped by Anwar Ibrahim’s gabs in that forceful but fragile parliament orations scenario? Do we feel that there is no need to exchange discoveries and ideas with the outside world?

But wait a minute, I hear some say. Isn’t it true that the Russians, the Japanese, the Chinese, all have their own languages that teach the entire Science and Mathematics? And yet they can excel? Well this is where some people have taken it wrongly, you see. These countries excel because they already have a mass of scientific workers sustaining the discipline from within. Russia already have their Nikolai Teslas, the Germans their Albert Einsteins, the Japanese their Heidi Yukawas, the Chinese their Tsung Dao Lees contributing greatly towards the fundamentals of global Scientific knowledge. It’s different from our case here in Malaysia. We can’t just forever quote Zul the garage mechanic who comes up with the automatic windshield wiper (already published as hobbyist works in Popular Mechanics) to justify that we CAN bypass English now. Scientific education is still very much dependent on foreign sources, and the longer it takes for us to admit this, the harder the casualty is going to be.

Before English was “accepted” as the default language of Science and Mathematics, copious scientific discoveries and papers were already written in various languages, most notably German and Russian. And even before that, during the “dark ages” of Europe, Arabic was the lingua franca of Science. Works by al Jauzi, al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, Ibn Firnas, ar-Razi and others had to be fervently translated into the European languages lest they lag behind in progress and still kept in the dark … ages. So yes, English may not always have been the language of choice in high education, but then something happened historically, and we just cannot ignore history. After the end of the 2nd world war, there was an exodus of scientific minds, notably from Europe, to the United States of America. Suddenly, European scientists already working in their respective fields of excellence had to convey their ideas in English for acceptance by their newly-found land-of-plenty. The rest, of course, is history: America (and the rest of the English world) now claims that Rocket Technology, Space Travels, Nuclear Fission, Quantum Theory, are all the byproduct of the English mind. That is as far from the truth as Hugh Hefner is to a Catholic Sainthood.

And we want to revert back to using Bahasa for Science and Mathematics which, in the first place, was never meant to be anyway? How does that sound? Heck, 50 years ago perhaps we probably thought the word “mine” solely means “saya punya”, prompting the translation of the poster for the movie “Enemy Mine” as …. Musuh ku !! No! I don’t fee like laughing. I feel like weeping.

We must not use Bahasa Malaysia as the choice of medium in the education of Science and Mathematics simply because the language has never been a scientific language ever since Hang Tuah and his five comrades came out of puberty and chased those lanuns on the shores of Selat Melaka to kingdom come. In order to incorporate the Sciences in Bahasa Malaysia, we would have to increase the size of our Kamus Dewan to twice its present volume and even that is an understatement. It’s too far ahead to catch up. Too many resources will be wasted to do this catching up, and it would be wiser instead to just hop on the wagon of already existing Scientific language and just sail away.

But more succinctly stimulating is the following clotheless-emperor question: is excelling in English, irrespective of whatever discipline one is in, a sign of a decrease in Patriotism to our nation?

No, because we need people who are versant in the language to argue for our case, and bring forthwith to the world on where we stand on issues that are dear to us Malaysians. Case in point: Kijangmas himself. How much of Kijangmas’ (sorry: there are many others in the blogosphere who command the language excellently as well. Too numerous to mention.) ideas can be conveyed in this new cyberspace if he had not written things in English? By just only using bahasa, he would probably be reduced to another Sayuti Omar or Faizal Tehrani, frequently lost in the global picture of multi-lingual readerships but adored only within the confines of the Bahasa audience, irrespective of how factual or how sensical their analysis could be. Don’t get me wrong. These writers are good. Darn good. But only within the boundaries of the Bahasa-speaking readerships that they can be realized for the true worth that they are.

What would happen if our leaders do not have the required degree of acumen and articulation (read: tak reti cakap omputih) in international platforms to argue for our country? We would lose more than just Batu Putih, believe me. See, people can be patriotic in excelling in an international language. It is wrong to label them as a bygone remnant of colonial thinking.

If we accept this argument, we can also accept that teaching Science and Mathematics in English will in no way reduce our young students to ungrateful bigots of Modern Tanggangs. In fact, if in turn these young people were to become internationally acclaimed scientists one day, through their exposure and training in a language which every other international scientist use, who then will claim pride, if not us Malaysians?

Apocryphalist

Anonymous said...

As I see it, it is impossible to have Bangsa Malaysia to be united under one language, your language, or mine language, at least and until the present movement.

Even the term, Bahasa Malaysia has changed to Bahasa Melayu and then to Bahasa Malaysia and then to Bahasa Baku and so on, has not even settled down to collect dust, what is there to talk about uniting Bangsa Malaysia under one language?

To me, we should not put emphasis on which Bahasa to unite us but to let nature forces to decide which Bahasa to ultimately represents us, be it English, Mandarin, Tamil or Kelantanese, so long as we can use that language that is comfortable for us to communicate, share our thoughts and build up trust and confidence amongst us, people of diverse cultures and religions.

Emphasis on issue such as 'Ketuanan Melayu' just brings ill feelings and bad will, instead of instilling trust amongst us.

I especially like your article on the part of football and hockey teams where Soh Chin Aun and Lim Chuan Chin were 'towkay' who lead Malaysia to glory without even emphasise on what race are they. Meritocracy was the main criteria then instead of 'Ketuanan Melayu' that impose a race's supremacy over the other races.

I can also see the true Malaysian in Kelantanese. Maybe this is the reason why Zaid Ibrahim is different from his ex-counterparts of Riau Malays, Mamak Malays who claim they are more Malay than Zaid Ibrahim.

Having said all these, Demi Negara, I salute you and you are a true Malaysian indeed.

Why can't these Umno Malays discard 'Ketuanan' mentality and leave us alone to natural forces in determining our destiny? Only then, they can expect to regain the support they once had from the Rakyat. Forget about other BN parties, they are just useless in their own existence.

Anonymous said...

Salam Pokcik Kijangmas

A small tribute for u and JMD

http://satdthinks.blogspot.com/

Wass
satD

Anonymous said...

Wow! It took me half a day to finish reading your post, (i'm a stay-at-home mom with a baby u see). Usually kalau post panjang, i'll never bother to finish but yours was an exception indeed!

You have pin pointed what some of us have thought but not dare to say it or even how to say it. Well done, Demi Negara.

I was told abt your blog sometime lastweek thru a dear friend back home but only today i have the time to do so. And i'm so glad i did this. And mind you, i'm not the type to leave comments either.

U mentioned about Australia, the country where i live now. There are so many migraints from all over the world who are citizens of OZ land. In fact, just in my surburb alone where i live, there are about 1000 ex-Malaysians who are Chinese Christians. I know this 'cause i know the Parish in the church and he told me so (he was form malaysia too).

Well, my point is, Australia has the last couple of years or so adopted this policy whereby kalau sesiapa nak jadi Australian citizen, he/she has to undergo an exam or test of some sort. The exam is about the history, culture, values etc of Australia. They even expect u to know about the Aborigines. BAsically, if one is NOT aware or haven't the full knowledge of what Australia is all about with it's people, culture & what not then one is not deemed fit to be an Australian. One of the criteria is the english language of course. You have to know the langauge. If you don't know it, they will make you go for classes to master the language, at the Oz Govt expense lah.

After reading your posting, it's. obvious u have the passion. And it triggered in me the mistakes I have made when it came to speaking Bahasa Melayu. I think my friends & i have taken the Bahasa Melayu for granted. We speak English abt 80% of the time padahal we are Malays. We all know why. It's because our parents speak English and to some extent our teachers in primary school spoke english to us. I asked my parents why they spoke mostly english at home & they said it was because they were English educated during their primary & secondary school days. Not that i'm blaming them but i do feel left out in the beauty of the bahasa Melayu. It has come to a point where i have to think in english before i can speak in malay sometimes. I'm talking about proper Melayu, officially speaking. It's sad isn't it?

Could write more, but motherly duties beckons...

Demi Negara, you have earned a spot in my Favourites.

Saya... said...

Kijangmas,

Our leadership is at its weakest. At an all time low.

The yesteryears saw leaders who had been through the difficulties of birthing the nation. They had a sense of purpose and direction and a vision for the country and its people.

Sadly, as the nation prospered, the newer generation of leaders lost sight of that vision,their predecessors values and the struggles of the past. It became all about self-enrichment, corruption, easy money, arrogance, detachment and depravity.

Typical case of "lupa diri" and greed bila dah kaya dan terlampau satiated. Rasullulah SAW pun bersabda, jangan makan terlamapu kenyang, mati hati kita nanti.

"Divide et impera" and fear is the key to maintaining the power base and wealth. Divide the riches amongst the elite of all races and keep instilling that fear and racial boogeyman amongst the masses to maintain power.

Excesses will lead to a downfall. (Even Elvis keeled over on his toilet, dead from his excessive bingeing)

Malay leaders have lost all respect in the eyes of the people.

Dalam pemimpin2 dan ahli politik kita leka dan alpa dengan kekayaan, rasuah dan gila kuasa, the regular melayus in the street and in the crowded flats have been falling (ignored? unnoticed on purpose?) to the wayside, victim to drugs, "rempitism", "lepaking", incest,inertia, lethargy, with the AFundi artistes as their role models and idols in life.

The others races now view anything associated with Melayu in a negative light. They would rather die first than be moulded in the current "arca Melayu" that we see, especially those from the younger, educated generation of the other races.

I am saying this only with concern for the current state of the Malays which are often seen at two extreme ends of the spectrum.

How does one regain the respect and maruah so that anyone would be proud to be a reflection of the arca melayu?

And as it is, the weakened leaders are further accommodating the growing demands and division amongst the races in order to hold on to their positions.

Can you imagine what furore and lost votes would result from abolishing vernacular schools and imposing what you mentioned on all the races?

Do you think our leaders love the nation enough to do what is right for Malaysia or to do only what is right for themselves?

(Same question for PR leadership and PAS too)

Anonymous said...

Hi to you too, Kijangmas.

Txs for yr answer.

I guess we should use a time machine and rewind back to 50 years ago. To restart and re-evaluate the whole concept of Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Malaysia needs to redefine what is nation building, what exactly she wants from her 'people'.

Sometimes I wish that the power of that time (the time of independence) had implemented assimilation. A lot of time had been wasted .....

zazaland

KijangMas said...

Soldadu (November 7, 2008 2:34 AM) said:-
“Let's assume that takes place now and we wake up to a new Malaysia tomorrow where everything becomes all that he wishes for:
-will the government as we know today become cleaner, fairer and more efficient?
- will the economy improve for all the peoples because they now have a single identity?
- will students and their teachers be able to gain more knowledge in any field in order to improve themselves and the country?
- will the football team regain its past glories?"

No. Let me ask YOU the inverse logic: With Malaysia in its “as is” state of disintegration -- do you think the government will become cleaner, fairer and more efficient? Will the economy improve for all the peoples? Will students and their teachers be able to gain more knowledge in any field in order to improve themselves and the country? And will the football team regain its past glories?

No?

So you’re resisting change and are content to languish in this existing state of affairs, where this nation is hurtling into a mediocre incoherent existence?

Of course, NOBODY has a magic wand that can transform any society to a utopian wonderland. Sorry, we don’t have syurgas here on earth. You first need to die a pious man and do good deeds to have a chance to go there. As for our present mortal existence, your doing nothing and rationalizing the current state of social impasse via regurgitating old chauvinist verbiage is not the solution either.

Look, BEFORE all those issues on cleaner govt., economic health, educational excellence and performance of the football team can even have a chance of becoming realities, we first need a cohesive, unified society based on sufficient shared affinities to actually understand these common goals and to collaborate towards achieving those goals.

Soldadu added:-
“The blogger has only articulated half the story. The first half where all felt like malaysians. What has happened to the second half of the story where half the peoples were made to feel they were less than malaysians even as the other half had to force themselves to feel they were different from that half in order to come up in life?”

Yes, that was my point.

The first half of the story reminisced an era where your vernacular schools have not yet infested your third (not half, but third) of the populace. That was the epoch where there was a chance, though remote as it were, for Malaysia’s varied peoples to emerge as a member of a new Bangsa Malaysia tribe.

Yes, the second half of the story reflects the contemporary realities of a divergent, fragmented social order afflicted by malignant incoherent perceptions of identity, aspiration and destiny.

Oh, I couldn’t decipher your cryptic sidesweep here: “…even as the other half had to force themselves to feel they were different from that half in order to come up in life?”

I think it’s just a neo-tak suka Melayu party line of no substance.


Soldadu marched on:-
“And where did that fissure come from? From too many of the people not believing that conformity is the way forward because they have seen with their own eyes, experienced with the very pores of their own skin, and analysed with their own minds what has been happening year after year in this land. The complete loss of all standards - moral, ethical, political, cerebral, executional, foresightional, hindsightional, inter-rational, inter-racial, inter-religional, inter-cultural.”

Yup, I’ve read various incarnations of this very rhetoric in just about every nook, cranny and furrow of the anti-Malay hole of the blogosphere. So you think you’re (or were) a bunch of pristine angels of high ethical standards and high morality PRIOR to your exposure to the radioactive maladies of our society induced by the Malays?

This must, indeed, be the joke of the year!

I don’t need to rewrite dissertations on the standards of morality, ethics, honesty, hygiene, …. etc. of your kind as voluminous work had been done on the subject and are gathering dust in universities worldwide. Listen bud, you got it all backwards. See what happens when you live a life of a non-conformist, striving hard to counter the irresistible force of Melayu-ness descending upon your dwindling kind?

Actually, YOUR KIND is the epitomy of all the vices and bad things known to men since time immemorial. Lu judi, lu jual pompuan, lu cetak rompak, lu seludup binatang liar sampai hampir pupus gua punya simbol halimau, lu makan semua benda yg lain manusia tak kacau dan biar kasi hidup demi alam sekitar, lu culi balak sampai sungai jadi mcm kopi-O, lu culi pasir sampai jadi banjir kilat di sana-sini, lu klon itu kledit kad, itu SIM card, itu Astro smartcard, itu satu duniya punya passport, itu MyCard, lu buang sampah melata tempat, lu ludah sana sini, lu mati pun bikin tlefik jem kasi arak itu kotak mau pigi tanam, lu bakar itu melecun pukul 3 pagi sampai olang sakit jantung pun terus padam, lu beli balang culi, lu jual balang tiluan, lu tipu itu income tax, lu…… lu …….. lu ……… haiya Soldadu, lima hali gua tulis pun tak buleh habis kalau gua mau cakap pasal LU punya “complete loss of all standards - moral, ethical, political, cerebral, executional, foresightional, hindsightional, inter-rational, inter-racial, inter-religional, inter-cultural.”

So please lah. Don’t make us laugh at your face. You and your kind are the LAST group of humans to tell Me and my kind about “moral” and “ethical” standards.



Soldadu added:-
“Would the blogger bet on a horse that has not only never won but can only be trusted to depict an inclination to jump the queue, vault over the side bar, and prance when it should trot?”

Well, I certainly won’t bet on a horse that has not only never won but has a penchant for betting against itself in order to win big unethically, that has an inclination to bribe itself to the head of the queue, to vault over to the dark side of legality just for a quick lousy Ringgit, and to prance and cry “discrimination” to the World when ultimately caught with its hoofs in the pigsty’s gruel bucket.

And said:-
“If the tables are turned, would the blogger be also saying Yes to that sort of conformization?”

No. If the tables were turned, my Glock 22 .40 Widowmaker would be busy indeed. Lots of practice with my Patani freedom fighter brethrens.


And further asked:-
“Are standards so low in this country today that such an aspiration can be elevated to an art form regardless of realities? … And if it is submitted that unification to one conformed standard is the only way for the country to achieve greatness and identity as much other countries, how much more time is needed? … Another half a century?”

Why 50 yrs? Your kind is that slow to conform and be assimilated ahh? I thought you people work fast and eat fast and TFK fast? Why ask us Tuan Tanah? It’s up to you lah. You conform fast, then we’ll achieved this “one conformed standard … for the country to achieve greatness and identity” in no time. If you drag your paws and bribe your way towards non-conformity, then it will be slow. It’s up to you. If it’s up to KijangMas, I want it NOW. Sekalang! Lu boleh jadi Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berlandaskan bahasa Melayu dan budaya Melayu ka? Belapa tahun lu mau? Apasal lambat sangat?

Oh, as for your restaurant business analogy and the Pakistani waiter thingy, I just don’t understand your point. Too cryptic and Chamil Wariya-ish cerpen-type convoluted story. As I’ve said, the Kelantanese mind are not putar belit-friendly. We just quietly go straight to the jugular for a quick end.

KijangMas said...

Anonymous (November 7, 2008 6:31 AM) said:-
“Bangsa Malaysia died the day Razak and co decided that the medium of instruction in all national schools be changed to Malay.......thereby converting schools to quasi Malay kampongs and ghettoes.”

So why fault the Malays when your kind emigrated en masse to your SRJK(C) and SRJK(T)s? The Malay “kampungs and ghettoes” were created by YOUR “boycott” of these schools. YOUR KIND created these kampungs and ghettoes.

He/she further said:-
“Yes...Obama didn’t Swahili…he assimilated into American culture by first embracing its neutral language ...English......”

Again, tipu here, tipu there to prove an indefensible point. Why you call English a “neutral language” in America? “Neutral” by definition is a middle-ground something that neither “side” can call its own. So you mean to say “English” is just a middle ground “neutral” language while the 300 million Americans speak German, Yiddish, Italian, Ukrainian, French, …… etc. in their homes? I’ve lived on and off in these United States for the past 26 years and this is the first time someone said English is a “neutral” language in America. Wow! Oh dear. See the product of vernacular education spiced with Unker Kit’s blog?

And he/she said:-
“......it may be too late for Malaysia....the kampong language has creeped and made the natives even more lazy….”

Yawn, yawn ……… same old Cina Bukit propanganda. Yawn. Do you REALLY believe in this lazy native mystique? And you think that you and your kind are the ones that actually operate the machinery of this country? So you are the ones that are in battle fatigues guarding our jungle clad borders ah? You are the ones that operate our expressways ah? Our airports ah? Our seaports ah? That sail the world in our MISC tankers ah? That keep law and order ah? That manage Bank Negara and most banks ah? That jadi bomba and emergency services personnel ah? That administer this country ah? Wah, how come you all look like Malays ah? Hey, maybe KijangMas is also a Cina Bukit that thinks he’s a Melayu? Now, Chamil Wariya is definitely a Cina; I can see it in his Hainanese poker face expression.

So Melayu sleep, you Cina kerja? Melayu tidur, you Cina kerja? Hey, I’m beginning to get a hang of this. I think I like it. Ok, one more time: Saya tidur, lu kerja. Saya tidur, lu kerja ………… images of Chinese slaves appearing in my thought bubbles now ……. Saya tidur, lu kerja. Saya ….. zzzzzzzzzz.

Hoi Leng Chai, watchalookin'at? Apa tengok-tengok? Gua mau tidur. Lu mesti kerja. Nyaah, pergi kerja.

Anyway, this Anonymous is a sad product of the Revisionist Histrionics now spreading like wildfire in the non-Malay segment of the populace. Tun Razak -- the one man who held this nation together at the time of its near disintegration, the one man who could have been a dictator backed by the Armed Forces but decided to cut short MAGERAN and revert back to democracy, the one man who sheltered the defenseless non-Malays from total and utter annihilation in the hands of the blood-thirsty roving Malay gangs and the RMR, the one man who handed back the hak-hak kerakyatan to the non-Malays at a time when the whole world expected a mass deportation and enforced assimilation –- is now vilified by people like this Anonymous character who was not even born in 1969-71.

The very measures Tun Razak instituted in order to ensure non-Malays survival in that period and exist as equal stakeholders in this country – including a common Bahasa Malaysia curriculum for national schools – are now twisted by the chauvinist groups as sinister acts.

Listen up you ungrateful beasts. When Tun Razak died, hundreds of thousands of people cried their way to his mausoleum to pay their respects. And ALL ethnic-Chinese of that era were hysterical and in profound grief as they were then left defenseless against a weakfish Deputy PM surrounded by Hawkish Ghazalie Shafie and a younger more ultra-Malay Dr. M, Musa Hitam and a Malay elitist Tg. Razaleigh. Even then-fugitive Botak Chin sent a huge wreath and words of grief. And for you and your ungrateful species to now drag Tun Razak’s name through your cesspool of hate is beyond my own contemplation of words to define your kinds.

I think in the end, you and your unrepentant kinds will get what you deserve from the awakened Tuans of this Tanah.

Anonymous said...

Hi KijangMas

It’s a good thing that you posted soldadu and that anonymous comments and your reply at the same time. We wouldn’t want to let their diseased thinking fester in the minds of others do we? And who could’ve have replied it better than you? And man, what a reply that was! Lethal! And hilarious too! I was in stitches. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Padan muka dia orang!

They tried to sound oh-so-enlightened but ended up looking oh-so-BODOH!

You’re simply awesome!



Pink Shades

Anonymous said...

"Listen bud, you got it all backwards. See what happens when you live a life of a non-conformist, striving hard to counter the irresistible force of Melayu-ness descending upon your dwindling kind? " (kijangmas)

that finally shows your hand, mind, soul, etc, doesn't it?

what more is there to say?

Anonymous said...

Salam Kijangmas,

Gua latang juai ini blus dawai. Ini blus timbaga lagi babut, manyak tahan. Kasi cuci itu Soladu .. apa itu Soldadu ... Itu Soladu kulit gajah punya ... manyak tibal..

Apa? moi ka? Blus tatak mau .. Tapi ini lagi babut ... ini M16 wooo.

Manyak kali lia olang kina blus ... tintu lein kali lia olang latang baling batu.

Jika tuan tapis keluar komen ini pun tidak mengapa. Medan sesirius ini mana boleh dijadikan hiburan.

Belum pernah saya dapat belajaar perkara serius sebegini, tetapi mampu ketawa pecah perut sehingga keluar air mata.

Terima kasih.

Saiin Yasser

Anonymous said...

Dear Kijangmas,

Excellent arguments all around. Ideal if it can be imposed. But for a minority to feel compelled to assimilate, two things must be true; the minority is not too many (10% max), the economy is controlled by the majority. I assert this to be the case in all your examples; Kelantan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

So, unfortunately, the reality of our present situation is that the Chinese is a significant minority (30%), and they dominate economic activities, enabling them to become self-sufficient in their enclaves. In this case, to impose assimilation would require doing so at gunpoint.

At the rate our country is going, we might end up like Rwanda like you mentioned, but I feel Fiji is more our destiny if we fail to forge a unified national identity, and the Malays fail to dominate economic activities. So, it comes back to what Dr M mentioned; the problem is economic.

Agree with the Bahasa Malaysia issue, but how to get there without ripping the country apart? However, I also agree with Apocryphalist on the issue of Science and Math in English, he explained more lucidly than I ever could. BM to me is not suitable for Science and Math, it's not a matter of Malay terms, but the structure makes it clumsy for nimble and precise manipulations of concepts needed in Science and Math.

zooky said...

I have just finished reading Jamaica Kincaid's "A Small Place" - an angry, bitter rant against the colonial masters. She writes of the orphans of the empire, who had their history distorted or erased -- "no motherland, no fatherland, no gods.... and worst and most painful of all, no tongue. (For isn't it odd that the only language that I have in which to speak of this crime, is the language of the criminal?"

Ya, memang benar, bahasa menunjukkan bangsa.

Anonymous said...

Would like to know what you have to answer what Malaysian Tigress said.

I am Malay but sadly I have to agree with her.

What is arca melayu? mat rempit? peragut? uni drop out? rapist? incest?

The problem lies way beyond SRKJ(C)/(T). I wish it was as simple as that. But fellow malays left alot to be desired. Have you been to the slums lately?

Mat Cendana said...

PHEW! You've got some real heavy-duty, industrial strength comments from people like Zhi Yuan, Malaysian Tigress, SatD, Soldadu, Apocryphalist etc. (there are a few others - am in a hurry to write this, so I've left you out).

The great thing is that their comments justify the excellent post you had made by adding in even more interesting and pertinent points and angles; whether pro or contra the post and Kijangmas. This blog is fast becoming a significant place for CONTENT and QUALITY - from the owner AND readers. Congratulations, to Kijangmas and the great people who share their thoughts here.

BTW I hope some of the people here do not see this as a "Kijangmas bashing-whatever", and cheer him on because of that, with a "I win, you lose" kind of stance. IMHO this post (and blog) should be a place where we try to see and understand what others think. Maybe we'll grow to be wiser in some things over time...

Lastly, when is Apocryphalist going to start his own blog?? Strange that someone of his calibre doesn't have one. Hmm, or maybe he does have one, but not under this name...

Okay, back to work. Yes, I know it's 2am time. And NO, I'm not "rajin". Nor a watchman for the Pajak Gadai in Pasir Mas. It's just that "I work when I like to", and it's RIGHT NOW.

Anonymous said...

Are you sure that this is the solution?
Do away with vernacular school, and then make everyone speak bahasa malaysia and malaysia on the road to assimilation? Is it that simple?

Say the non malays agree to do away with vernacular schools. Then what la? We all sit for SPM, and after that? Malays get to do a watered down matriculation and get into IPTA with grade 2, while non malays slog it out in STPM and not even guaranteed a place in uni even though they score 4 A's in one of the toughest exams of its level? Is that how bangsa malaysia is forged?

U always use the example of USA or Ozland. Well, those countries have a level playing field in education. Best results makes the grade. Malays will accept that?
Will malays accept that you will have to compete with non malays for a place in UM or UKM etc?

I bet you would say " do away with vernacular schools first then we talk of level playing field in education"..
Sure or not? PKNS hire chinese GM pun dah lintang pukang...

You put forth an idea. I tell you your idea is over simplistic. It wont work not because of the non malays, but rather because of the malays.

DewaDurjana74 said...

Salam Kijang Mas..

Damn brilliant brain u got there.. I'm quite amused by the way of your thinking and the way you pen down the perfect points.. I'm glad that someone has linked your blog in chedet.com.. It's a pleasure to me reading a quality article from your point of view and all of it came to sense.. Truly enjoying my time reading it and to gain knowledge from the article.. Thanks a 5million for sharing the truth fact and spot on points..

Anonymous said...

So easy ? Do away with vernacular school and let the next generation speak bahasa malaysia and everything will be ok?

not so easy.

1) school does not end with primary & secondary. education goes beyond the 11 years we study for our SPM. What happens after that?

2) You keep saying "masuk melayu" , "arca melayu" ... but you have not defined what "melayu " is. if you look around, it seems even the malays dont know what melayu is. you see malays at 2 conflicting ends of the spectrum.
What is the general most common factor that shapes the majority of malays then?
One side you have the ulama and pak haji types, and on the other u have cheek kissing AFUNDI types.

It wont work until you provide a proper definition and a proper guideline to intergration. Do away with chinese& indian schools? what next after school?
Arca melayu? What is melayu? hope you can provide some answers.

Saya... said...

"haiya Soldadu, lima hali gua tulis pun tak buleh habis kalau gua mau cakap pasal LU punya “complete loss of all standards - moral, ethical, political, cerebral, executional.."

Chinese pride themselves on being able to survive and make money anywhere, anyhow.

We can see how...with all the news coming out of China, where practically EVERYTHING is contaminated with toxic, cheap materials used in even baby milk and other foods in order to cut costs and make a bigger profit. Nothing is HARAM or SACRED to them. Anything goes. Tanpa batasan.


The scary thing here in Malaysia is that the food chain is almost monopolised by these Chinese/non-muslims (can't really blame them when we let them, no?). For the enlightnened, socially conscious, good for them.

But the majority are uneducated apeks who think nothing of using toxic cocktails of chemicals (banned pesticides and fertilisers to increase production, including good old shelltox as exposed by Utusan Konsumer) for the batch of sayur that they sell to the public, and they actually plant a separate "clean" batch for the consumption of their own families. They will go to great lengths to cheat and misrepresent. Many of the Malay-sounding brands like cap masjid, cap wau, cap pelikat, cap ali or whateverlah yg sound Melayu (that's the only time you find they speak a word of Malay!) are actually produced by the Chinese! All well and fine if they go by good manufacturing practices. But how far do they???

I never buy chicken or eat it outside coz I know what goes into the mouths of these chicks (ie what is in the feed) under the majority Chinese producers, and even eggs by Lay Hong and etc, I don't buy. I simply don't trust them. As you know, for them, nothing is sacred or haram. They might be up to par when the time for approval by govt is needed, by then they go back to cutting costs after.

Only organics and ulam kampung for my kids, and chicken only from Dr Zainal. It costs a bomb, but I want to vomit when I think of the things that go into our food controlled by the Chinese. I used to laugh at my mum, who when I was younger, drilled into us that the chinese used urine, and god knows what else for their sayur. She always raised her own chickens and planted her own greens. Now I realise how true her words were.

Sadly our Jakim and enforcement is selective, sporadic and apathetic. Because on the other end, we have our fellow Muslim Malays who just want to make a fast buck of their own, accepting tutup mata bribes or simply tak ikhlas dalam menjalankan amanah. And thus these toxic foods become darah daging our kids.

Maybe the younger educated Chinese are more socially conscious, but the false Money Deity often clouds their conscience, because ultimately money (at any cost) is the end all/only goal in life for most of them.

Btw, about learning Bahasa Melayu, kalau nak seribu daya...my Pakistani parents taught themselves bahasa melayu by studying the Jawi newspapers which shared similar alphabets to their native Urdu...and my mum sat in her kitchen everyday, practising laboriously how to write bahasa and english (english from copying the newspaper articles).

No one forced her to. But why did she do it?

To assimilate herself in the country she chose to make her home through sheer effort.

Many of my relatives preferred to remain in their own safe "punjabi" havens, stick to their bajus and cultures and urdu, but she (and dad) were able to blend in well ANYWHERE.

Anonymous said...

''Hockey was the domain of Tamil and Punjabi Malaysians.''

After this line, you elaborated on Hindraf, using the word 'they', particularly suggesting that the Punjabi's are on the streets with the Tamils on Hindraf.

You couldn't be more wrong. The Punjabi's and Sikhs are not involved in any way with Hindraf. It is basically politically incorrect for a Sikh to associate himself with a group such as Hindraf.

Hindraf, through Hindu Sangam Malaysia is strongly linked to the RSS in India. Sikhs, with the other minorities such as Christian, Muslims and Jews despises the RSS, which has an aim of a one-religion India.

The World Sikh Organization based in Washington D.C. has released a statement sometime last year advising Malaysian Sikhs to stay clear of Hindraf.

The only Sikhs you do see in Malaysia championing Hindraf is Karpal Singh and his family. Do I need to elaborate on a snake like him? lolz

Regards,
xx

Anonymous said...

Sallam Deminegara,

Worth the long wait....I'm experiencing multiple orgasm..Want to make sure all other Malays experiece it too.
Looking forward to have more of this orgasm...

Anyway,for the benefit of our Malay brothers who are not well-versed on English,any chance having your article(s) translated to Bahasa Malaysia?

Sallam

Anonymous said...

Saudara Din Kodeng,
boleh tak saudara huraikan kenyataan saudara itu? Nak kutuk atau ampu gitu-gitu memang senang.. mana - mana plain tom, dick and harry pun boleh kelauarkan remark macam tu..

-Phlogiston-

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas,

Want to test why I said ...Tak ader kuli dari Indonesia, Mynmar, Vietnam, patah tangan APEK. Guna kuli illegal bercambah. Tokey duk kat kaunter cashier saja..

Let us "walk the talk". Simple to test one of this this LAJIN MALAS thing..

LANCAR OPERASI BESAR2AN SELAMA 3BULAN seluruh negara DI PASAR PASAR BORONG DULU:

1. Station Van Gerak Jabatan Imigresen pada tiap penjuru jalan masuk dan keluar pasar.

2. Station human chain FRU along main roads, dan belukar2 - the last operasi, I almost hit one Mynmar who dashed out from Pasar Borong, crossed the busy Selayang roads macam Babi Hutan, to escape from the authorities.

3. Tak tertinggal, ACA people must ekor 724 orang imigresen, you know why lor.

You will be left with mainly peniaga2 LAJIN Melayu yang menjual petai, ikan keli, ikan telapia, patin, kangkung, ulam2, kelapa - cukup sekadar dapat masak asam tumis sambal belacan dan kari ikan keli..

Guarantee LUMPUH.. Dont worry, boleh beli bahan makanan kat Pasar Tani.

From here, relax kejap and we with the 2nd OPERASI Kebun Ladang Sayur pula.. Kecut semua tanaman, tak terjaga.. PATI bertempiaran lari tinggal kebun sayur mereka!!

TONGKANG

Anonymous said...

So Shad,
perhaps you can elaborate alternative ideas regarding what you claim as oversimplistic? Language is the central domain in unifying people around us...

yes indeed there are a lot of Malays whom you claim manage to get into places like UM or UKM with lower grades... but people can also argue that injustices have been comitted to other Malays especially those coming from lower income families whereby their wishes for scholarship are thwarted by those utilizing their connections in the government body to secure scholarships for their kids...

What I don't get it why are you relating that with doing away with vernacular schools is too simplistic? I don't get where you're going with this...

-Phlogiston

Anonymous said...

Malaysian Tigress said...the chinese used urine..

What about the Papayas with pig SHITs?
OOO my favourite fruit, I have now started growing them in my backyard..

With my own eyes.. my neighbour with 3 noisy dogs and 5 yapping puppies. They collect these SHIT droppings to manure their pandan leaves plant! Slup slup.. use these to boil red beans!!

woof woof

Saya... said...

I wish people like Demi Negara, JMD, Acrowatzhisnameitstoolongformeto spell, would shed their anonymity and come out into the open.

Brave enough, proud enough to reveal that their strong beliefs have A FACE.

That is what Malaysia needs now to counter our flailing (like a limp you-know-what) politicians who are ruining the nation with their impotence and cowardice and accomodative, self-survival sandiwara.

We need them in the ring where it counts, not in some elusive cyber existence.

Anonymous said...

Kita perlukan pengorbanan sebagaimana orang dulu-dulu berkorban untuk kemerdekaan. Ini pengorbanan yang diperlukan selepas era kemerdekaan. Pengorbanan bermakna akan ada mangsa korban. Kesetiaan akan terpancar dari kesengsaraan. Setiakawan akan teruji dengan kepayahan.

Bangsa Malaysia bukan Bangsa Malingsia

Anonymous said...

Somehow or other, one cannot help but detect, “from the opposite sides”, an indication of resistance for the sake of resisting, or a prejudicial sense of an-exercise-in-futility to ideas concerning Bahasa Malaysia and Negara Malaysia as brought forward by KijangMas. Others just unabashedly ‘retaliate’ with a rebellious or hawkish “what-do you-know” stance.

But then these kinds of reactions makes the commentary sections a more entertaining read as KijangMas applies his typical blow for blow shots at commendable literrary nimbleness ... as if implying a "don't throw stone at a man with a machine gun" welcome home door mat.

I think the best way to contribute positively is to emulate the ways of bloggers like Sakmongkol (subtle), Apocryphalist (analatycal) , Mat Cendana (warm & friendly like) or JMD (humble and polite).

Me? I dare not. I don't know how to. I prefer to come to the battlefield when the dust settles. I don’t want my heart to race at a 'humming bird' rate.

This is going to be a battle royale and high-powered fencing of the various minds. There will be no 'kancil mati di tengah-tengah' when these 'gajah sama gajah' berjuang.

KijangMas said...

kucau said...
“… ANYONE who cant speak proper Bahasa Malaysia is a traitor to this land. You can forgive anyone making grammatical mistake in English here in Malaysia, but do we forgive some Malaysian who cant speak proper, grammatically correct Bahasa Malaysia?”

Exactly.

We need to instill this mindset in our populace, irrespective of ethnicity.

Also, try not to speak Bahasa Malaysia the Apek way to the Apeks. Talk correct Bahasa Malaysia to everyone, even to the most uncouth Apek and Ayya that you come across. This is the American way. And in Kelantan, the auto accessory shop Ah Bengs from Ipoh only need six mths to speak Kelate Pekat. Otherwise, no business. Let the pendatangs and their cucu-cicit adjust to OUR correct mode of talking and not the other way round.

---

Bung Karno said...
“To get to the Thai, Indonesian or American model, we have to rewind 55 years ago and get the Constitution rewritten. Who are most willing to give the most ? Is it Malay, Chinese or Indian to be the Bahasa Kebangsaan ? And the rest barred from the system ?”

Bung, I don’t think our Constitution needs to be rewritten. It is a matter of interpretation and application. In the U.S., "interpretation of the Constitution" is a lucrative cottage industry employing the best legal minds. Hence, you'll see multiple reversals of Supreme Court opinions based on the interpretation and re-interpretation of the same piece of 18th century paper.

Back to Malaysia, in terms of language, the Constitution unequivocally stated that Bahasa Melayu (Bahasa Malaysia) is the sole official language. There is no provision for any other language. By inference, this official language would encompass ALL aspects of public life in this country. That’s Step 1.

Going down the next level of detail, what about other languages and dialects? Yes, the Constitution preserves the “rights” of the non-Malays to practice their cultures within their own communities. It is not a national affair by any stretch of the imagination. And these “rights” – e.g., language – are, by definition, subordinated to the official language. Hence, another language should not encroach or erode the sanctity and supremacy of the national language. These “rights” cease to exist when they overlap or encroach on the bigger public “right.” Thus other languages cannot be promoted at the expense of Bahasa Malaysia. This is a key principle in Step 2.

Public policy makers must then use these constitutional guides to interpret prevailing instances where the supremacy of Bahasa Malaysia is encroached by some aspects of the minorities’ “cultural rights.” Step 3.

Using vernacular schooling as an example: Our policy makers must determine whether the unbridled propagation of these Mandarin- and Tamil-centric schools (and their “capturing” of a significant pool of the Malaysian citizenry) constitute direct encroachment on the supremacy of Bahasa Malaysia as the sole official language of this country, i.e., whether the over-emphasis on other languages in these schools has effectively “challenged” and “diluted” the position of Bahasa Malaysia as the supreme language of this land, as manifested in the subpar Bahasa Malaysia proficiency of students percolating from these vernacular schools. This would then be a clear case of erosion of a larger public interest (Bahasa Malaysia) by a subordinate “cultural right” of minorities.

Measures must then be taken to correct this Constitutional infringement, i.e., by imposing Bahasa Malaysia as the primary language in ALL schools in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution.

The above is just a simplified sampling.

The point is -- there exist sufficient interpretative room in our existing 1957 Constitution to institute measures aimed at streamlining our education system towards a single-stream Bahasa Malaysia centric system.

Whether there is political will? That’s another matter.

-------

BaitiBadarudin said:-
“… this is the issue that I face every working day at a private university where the students argued that it's "democratic" to be talking in their "mother tongue" right under my very nose in lecture and tutorial classes. Sorry to be skeptical but I've given up counter-arguing that it's "disrespectful" (in plain terms - RUDE) and am leaving for greener pastures where the leaders don't pretend to be "democratic" or "populist". And to think that I once fancied myself to be a 'progressive' and a defender of 'multiculturalism'.”

Baiti, you are not alone. I myself was for a fleeting moment a “progressive and a defender of multiculturalism” as well UNTIL I came across daily acts of sheer provocation and mind-numbing bigotry by the non-Malays of this country, oblivious of their origins and constitutional position here.

-------

Anonymous (November 7, 2008 9:11 PM) said:-.
“I feel this issue is global. UK, Australia, United States, Canada and so many other countries are facing similar problems ... I was having tea with 5of these Chinaman and guess what their viewe were over these matters? They laughed amongst themselves and blurted out “if China is to let go and flood into the world just 1% of their population he he he susah semua orang nanti”. They are actually making fun out of the nuisance created on host countries … So beware, don’t get too taken in by their nonsense demands. Sememangnya parasites … These people never plan to change their ways, sudah jadi darah daging mereka … “

Yup, sometime soon I will relate how the Americans (the “beacon of democracy, meritocracy and human rights”) handled their “Chinese immigration threat” a century ago, at the same time these Sin Khehs flooded our shores.

Saya... said...

"PHEW! You've got some real heavy-duty, industrial strength comments from people like Zhi Yuan, Malaysian Tigress, SatD, Soldadu, Apocryphalist etc. (there are a few others - am in a hurry to write this, so I've left you out)."

Mat cendana,

I'm not a high powered intellectual like the others lah...don't mention me in same breath...aiyo (cringe,cringe)...I'm woman-in-the-street (not the streetwalker kind) only. You trying to get a Dome full breakfast set belanja for that ah.....

Bourne said...

Dear Sir,

i'm totally speechless ...well done very good writing indeed. fine observations superceed DKJ.. well done.

salam

budakraban

Anonymous said...

Di universiti (awam) tempat saya belajar, pernah juga saya jumpa orang Malaysia yang tak tahu nyanyi lagu Negaraku. Marahnya!! Mungkin resam orang Melayu ni agak terlalu beralah (atau, mengikut spesifikasi saudara, orang-orang Melayu luar Kelantan).

Menuntut lagu kebangsaan dalam bahasa Mandarin atau Tamil adalah TERLALU melampau.

-Jibam

Bung Karno said...

kijangmas,

That is precisely the point.
The Chinaman and the Indian have agreed more than 50 years ago that this is a nation to be lead and controlled by the Malays.

The position of the Malay Rulers are ensured. Islam is the religion and must be upheld.

Bahasa Melayu is the Bahasa Kebangsaan and every one of them must respect and speak the language although they will not be shot for speaking their mother tongues.

In return they PROMISED to uphold Malay rights and kowtow. And this will always be the case.

The rest is history.

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas,

One requirement when we register our children into SJK or Government sponsored Tabika, is to produce the student’s Birth Certificate.

If they are children of legal Foreign residents ,(those years we need to pay for the yearly school fees), the rates will be slightly higher.

Another requirement is to complete details (verified by XYZ) about the parents, address, employment etc.

Could this be one reason why these people are so reluctant to attend Govt schools? Are these parents from groups of illegals who need a place to send their illegal children for formal education?

Are they afraid their TRUE identity will be compromised should they send their illegal children to Govertment schools?

I seriously feel someone should look into this.

I had an incidence where I wanted to sell one terrace house, to a couple who brought along with them 2children, schooling in a Chinese school in KL, they hardly understand a word of BM or BI when I spoke to them.

Well, after negotiations etc I agreed on the price for RM100K.

After sending documents etc to my lawyers, he thru his lawyers, I was shocked to be informed that they were foreigners. (can only sell my property above RM100K)

See how well they conceal their identities to pass themselves as MALAYSIANS!!

SCHOOL

Mat Cendana said...

@Tam Dalyell 6:13 PM
"I think the best way to contribute positively is to emulate the ways of bloggers like Sakmongkol (subtle), Apocryphalist (analatycal) , Mat Cendana (warm & friendly like) or JMD (humble and polite)."

Hey, this is GREAT!...someone is saying nice things about me! Kembae lubae idong.Tam Dalyell: Erm, can you do this MORE OFTEN, please? Haha!

But seriously, I'm happy that at least one person here sees me as this. But then, some others might not be happy that I'm "uncommitted" to one issue or another most of the time ... "without a strong opinion". I have my reasons for this.

Oh, okay; since gatal gi sebut, and might annoy people if I stop there without elaborating: Nowadays, I try to listen more to what others say than to state my opinion.

To Tam Dalyell, I'm not always like this in TRYING to be tolerant of others. But I know "it is better for me", for my "diri"; and I try to be something that I won't regret later. Thought you should know that I used to be an extremely opinionated hardliner; and I could hammer some others hard enough to silence them (people like Mekyam who knows me long enough will attest to this. Strange that I never had any problems with her, ever. Or maybe it's not strange at all...)

At blogs like this, and with some people, I do get the itch to "let fly" and write what I really, really think. And many might justify "these people" deserve it too. But I'd let it pass - it's no longer that important anymore for me "to win" anything. I'd just move on if I half-suspect someone would be hurt by something - especially those whom I feel are "ignorant" instead of "malicious minded".

BTW please don't interpret this as my wanting people - whatever they believe in and which side they're on - to "tone down" or whatever. Heck, write what you want for it's your life to live:-)

However, I do feel that some of the commentators here have been a bit too vicious and hurtful - especially against some of "the non-Malays" who offer views and opinions not to your liking. Maybe they are wrong. And maybe they might be right here and there. But I feel one should always give due consideration to "the tone and manner" of such comments.

Take into consideration that their presence - and especially their taking the time and trouble to THINK and WRITE about something - lends QUALITY and DEPTH to this blog. And possibly help us see in a new light about something. This is extremely valuable and I feel they should not be made to feel discouraged from "playing on away fields".

In general, try picturing what YOU would feel if something you're writing is actually by "someone else" and targeted at you instead. Feel angered? Then edit it so that only the POINTS go through loud and clear minus the venom, which is usually in the TONE of the comment.

Anonymous said...

Meremang bulu roma saya membaca artikel ni...tepat dan padat...penuh fakta bukan auta (macam puak puak yg mengaku bagus kononnya Malaysian Malaysia)

Teruskan saudara, luahkan apa yg tak pernah diluah oleh orang Melayu yang selama ini dah naik jelak dan muak dengan mereka yang cuma mahukan HAK tapi tidak melihat samada mereka LAYAK UNTUK HAK TERSEBUT...

dan mengenai LOH GWO BURNE itu memang dia adalah ahli parlimen yang paling hampeh sekali...tiada apa yang dibuatnya untuk rakyat, cuma mengganggu majlis surau, pergi ke konsert avril lavigne dan merokok di kawasan larangan merokok di parlimen

Anonymous said...

Ketika mencapai kemerdekaan dahulu tiada siapa pun, terutama bekas penjajah, meletakkan apa-apa harapan kepada kemerdekaan kita. Jurang segala perbezaan antara rakyat wujud lagi berpotensi besar boleh memporak perandakan dan menghancurkan.

Malah boleh dikatakan tiada keserupaan langsung dalam apa segi pun, kecuali azam untuk merdeka. Pengorbanan dan kerugian untuk mencapai kemerdekaan dirasakan amat berbaloi.

Tetapi Duli Raja-Raja serta seluruh rakyat bertindak dengan keseragaman hati dan tindak yang di luar dugaan. Dengan pimpinan bernilai jagat, kita mencapai kejayaan demi kejayaan. Negara digerakkan dari negara ketiga kepada negara maju dalam setengah abad. Ini satu nikmat yang besar sekali.

Belum pun sempat kita menikmati kejayaan ini, sekarang kita dikejutkan oleh pelbagai rancangan atau program reality yang amat menggugat yang dilakonkan serentak. Si Perwira turun tahta. Si Tamak rakus merebut kedudukan. Si Kaduk naik junjung. Si Emperor Nero mengarah filem ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’. Si Gunting Lipatan menjual gula-gula ‘Malaysian Malaysia’. Si Anjing Kurap DiSapu Kepala menjolok tebuan. (Setengah menjolok harimau heheheh).

Panggong jadi hangar bangar rioh rendah. Lampu dipasang. Gelap jadi terang. Pementasan diteruskan juga.

Tiba-tiba muncul (ini bukan lagi program reality), orang kata dari silsilah darah putih Bumi Patani, berhubungkait dengan istana-istana Kelantan dan Pahang, Sri Rama mencemar duli.

Dia membawa cetusan ubat pahit. Cetusan yang sebegini menyeluruh kesannya terhadap Negara tercinta ini belum pernah timbul dalam sejarah Negara Malaysia sejak merdeka.

Boleh dibeli di Farmacy Demi Negara.

Apa sumbangan kita rakyat? Sebar luaskan. Iklankan. Ajak-ajak, risik merisik, hantar tepak sirih meminang. Sesiapa yang ada ‘line’, hantar tepak sirih hingga sampai ke ………. Bawah Duli Majlis Raja-Raja pun. Biar seluruh rakyat, ya seluruh insan yang hidup atau mati, yang didalam lingkup langit dan bumi Negara Malaysia tercinta, kawan atau lawan, tanpa kecuali menilai ubat pahit ini. Siapa berwang beli. Tak beruang hutang. Semua. Yang buta datang bertongkat. Yang lumpuh berkerusi roda. Yang cucu pimpim atuk. Yang pekak …. nak rasa ubat bukan pakai telinga.

Siapa mengecualikan diri …. dia tak sayang Malaysia. Siapa malawan hancurkan. Siapa nak bincang .... sana di balai penghadapan.

Hendak bertindak sekarang atau esok sama sahaja. Kita sedang lihat dan rasa kita punya demokrasi in proses ini banyak memberi pengalaman untuk memandunya melalui arca Negara Malaysia ke Negara Malaysia yang lebih baik kehadapan.

Kita sedang DiBeri peluang keemasan sebenarnya.

Anonymous said...

way to go kijangmas...blast those 'ungrateful squatters'...
Can't wait for your next post..

balan said...

Thanks for inviting me to comment. I think I missed all the fun. It took me quite sometime to read through this extra long article. Perhaps Demi Nagara should come up with a book ala TDM on his blog.

The issue and comments thereafter have digressed quite a bit from the original article, I think.

Anyway. I quite agree with the article and assertions that Bahasa Malaysia should be given it's adequate respect and used as a unifying tool of all races in the country, hence was my suggestion that we should only have one school and close down all vernacular schools.

This has been done in Singapore although their medium of instruction is in English. I don't see any Indians or Chinese in Singapore losing their culture of identity by just going to same school. This is a proven fact and education extremist in Malaysia conveniently omit this fact when arguing their case.

I am a Indian with Malayalam as my mother tongue, a national school product and have had unique experience of studying in a various different schools due to the nature of my father's job. The most unique experience was when me and my brothers were the only non-malay in 2,000 student in a Felda school in Kota Tinggi in the late 80s. I think non-malays today would shudder to think of sending their children to such a school. This remains the point of contention by Education groups, extremist and parents for not sending their children to national schools.

Did I experience discrimination, yes I did but that's in the begining where students and teacher looked at me differently. We did get all the nasty stares, racist comments and even 'Keling' was used regularly. As the months went by, we made friends with Malays there, played with them and even hanging out with them off school hours. We were also there in the Agama classes, joined in some religious related functions (can't remember what but i do remember having a meal with my malays friends in a Dulang).

WE did end up being influenced by them, Our bahasa was better and even superior than the malays themselves, that includes the dialect. As teenager, it was not a surprise that we also started to follow the dressing and hair ala rock stars. Point to note that these were the Search And Wings era. I was hooked by the rock music and we even went to the extend of analysing their lyrics. On the other hand, we still spoke our mother tongue at home, watch tamils movies without fails and not fogetting the Tamil Radio Six.

At no point I felt threatened or being forced to accept anything, including the religion. In fact we learned to understand Islam better. My understanding and the message I get from the teachers at that infacy stage is that there's nothing wrong with Islam, it's just the people who proclaim themselves Islamic and promote their own agenda the wrong way. I think the problem remains the same today. I also think that the over-islamisation of some schools and massive negative publicity they recieve when something goes wrong in national schools, prompts parents to run for cover and their cover is Tamil and Chinese Schools.

Coming back to the language, I am, at times (now becoming more regular) ashamed at the way the language is spoken by non-malays, even by non-malay graduates. I understand that at least a credit in Bahasa malaysia is required to enter unversities but then if you look at the quality of spoken Bahasa from the graduates, some are downright atrocious. This I believe, is a result of Bahasa Malaysia being taught only to pass exams begining from primary school, hence the verbal/spoken Bahasa were not given equal emphasis.

I agree that ASTRO and various radio channels available made things worse. Those days, before ASTRO came into the picture, I remember the during prime time,we are made to watch news in Bahasa Malaysia/Melayu or at one point Baku. Now we have a choice and naturally, non-malays switch to news in Tamil or Mandarin. The government, in their effort to please non-malays, allowed this freedom to continue until now where non malays do not watch Bahasa Malaysia news unless there's some controversial news in the town.

I have written on teaching maths and science in English,I do support the policy as it would definitely benefits everyone and would prove to uplift the socio-economic condition of the majority poor, regardless of race, in the long run, provided adequate support and structures are in place to undertake the effort without compromising the status of Bahasa Malaysia. The compulsory pass in Bahasa Malaysia and a Credit requirement to enter universities are a good measure to ensure students are forced to learn and master the language. In Malaysia, we may have to use this form of force to make things happen.

I would have probably repeated some of the point made by others and readers would have been bored by now. I will end my comments with this; (please forgive me if there are any mistakes)

Bahasa Malaysia perlu dihormati dan diberi pengiktirafan sepenuh hati oleh semua kaum jike kaum kaum yang ada dinegara ini menganggap dirinya sebagai warganegara Malaysia yang taat dan setia. Taat and setia juga bermaksud menghormati asal usul dan suasana negara masyarakat majmuk. Inilah kesilapan TDM. TDM kata 'Melayu Mudah Lupa', saya ingin perbetulkannya, 'Rakyat Melaysia mudah lupa'.

Knights Templar said...

Excellent Piece my friend.I for one agree with you that There should be only one unifying Language and thats Bahasa Malaysia.The Chinese and Tamil schools MUST go and it will take only 1 generation to mould a Bangsa Malaysia.Sad thing is ,the politicians who scream of being called Pendatangs will be the same ones who will screem and oppose the closing down of vernacular scools.

BaitiBadarudin said...

"Sin Khehs" - I used to cringe when my late mother used those words in front of my Chinese classmates who came over to our place; but now I find myself using them to refer to the 'tribe' in my 'academic slum'.

Anonymous said...

Penat baca.. tapi you hit the nail right on the forehead of the self-proclaimed bangsa malaysia who are not willing to uphold Bahasa Malaysia.

Thanks for the mind opeing article.

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas,

Others are asking for your identity, I suggest you just let it be.

Still, please answer yes or no to this:

Does 08173351 ring any bells?
I twisted the end.

If yes, last year I was very busy there too.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Saudara KijangMas,

I applaud you! A very well thought out and put together piece you have here. Very articulate indeed.

The emphasis on the usage on Bahasa Malaysia is a must to united our now loose nation.

I think the political powers that be, on both sides of the extreme, have ignored or purposely ignored this issue to gain support of the various "tribes" that exist in this nation of ours.

As example, Belgium is one such country that, although small, suffers from language barriers.With Flemish, German and French spoken in different parts of the country hence creating different section to what should be one country.

The Swiss too, with it's usage of German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although, having relatives in Zurich, I learned that the Swiss have emphasized the study of all these major Swiss languages in their schools.

Here, with the multiple school systems, it will be tough to promote what the Swiss are doing. And with politicians playing their dramas for the benefit of votes too much is at stake.

Like you sir, I too grew up in many countries. My Father was attached to a multinational for close to 30 years. The world was our oyster and somehow with all the traveling and moving we always managed to identify another Malaysian abroad with Bahasa Malaysia.

I attended, upon my return to Malaysia, an International School first before transferring to a Malay medium Sekolah Kebangsaan for the later part of my Primary and later my Secondary education. Having lessons taught in Bahasa Malaysia did not diminish my understanding or proficiency of the English language. So this whole idea about learning Bahasa Malaysia and being "left behind" in terms of progress in pure hogwash.

Perhaps while emphasizing on Bahasa Malaysia as the one and only national language (there can be only one!), the teaching of English should not be abandoned. There is no hard and fast rule that says when our students learn in Bahasa Malaysia they will loose out on English. I am confident that our students can and will be proficient in both languages.

Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using our National Language and yet remain multilingual at the same time.

Hats off to you sir on a well pointed out explanation.

Bahasa menunjukkan bangsa!

MELAYU LAMA
www.melayu-lama.blogspot.com

KijangMas said...

To Kama At-Tarawis, Lekiu, Hikayat Mamak Bendahara and Pesanan, I appreciate your kind words.

Thanks for visiting.

------------

Artnone- As I See (S.I.C) 73-76 said:-

“Oghe cino de indiya di Malaysia nih, besa ppalo, sebak oghe nayu bui muka banyok do oh. Cukup la, maghi kita pakat teke kerajee seblom telambat. Buat dasar so bahaso de so jenih sekoloh.”

Beto kawé. Kito keno ghoyak ko pemimping2 parti Pah supayo jangé bui kerjosamo nga puok2 pro-sekoloh Cino dé Indiya hok dok selindong bowoh dégho DAP dé PKR. Nati jahané negaro kito. Kalu Pah takdok dale Pakaté, aké tumbé lah kerajéé bowoh telunjok Cino totok di Pérok dé Selangor.

And said:-

“The new steps taken by the Perak State Government of putting three front desk officers representing three different race is laughable ... Simply what was done by the Perak state is plain stupid, an action that would perpetuate further racism. To think that in Malaysia, after 51 years of Independence, there are still so-called Malaysia who cannot speak Bahasa Melayu is a tragedy.”

Yup. And the bigger tragedy here is the continued existence of Orang Melayus who support this state government. Their hatred of UMNO/BN and collaboration with the anti-Malay forces led to this and other provocative acts by non-Malay chauvinists now holding the reins of power courtesy of these short-sighted Melayu Pengkhianat Bangsas in Perak and Selangor. And I’ve not even begin to talk about Penang.

Of course, the catalyst of this multi-racial sama rata 1+1+1 representation for the three main ethnic groups (who’s ratio is actually 68:23:7) is ironically the UMNO-led federal government itself. As I’ve mentioned in my posting, the federal govt., especially in this aberrative Pak Lah era, makes it a habit to stress this country’s multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-whatever milieu and this precipitated enhanced awareness of RACE among the populace. The DAP-guided Perak govt. is now manifesting this multi-racial flavour in its administration of the state in a provocative stance that sent the message to Perakians that its o.k. for them to not know Bahasa Malaysia 51 yrs after Merdeka, and that the Perak govt. is now a key collaborator in this quest to hina our national language.

------------

Mat Cendana said:-
“As with the others here (and including the silent readers who only leave their footprints and shadows in the form of hits and visits), I'm curious to know who this "Kijangmas" is. I'm almost sure that a few people do know, by tying up this and that, with "from Kelantan" as the vital clue, of course.”

Keep guessing comrades.

Well, KijangMas could well be the night watchman of the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan library with access to the internet at wee hours of the morning (hence, the California time of his postings/comments) plus a mountain of SoPo books and periodicals that nobody else cared to read. And the closest he’d ever been to California is via watching old cetak rompak Arnold SusahNakEja Terminator VCDs. Oh, JebatMustDie does the day shift ………..

Mat Cendana added:-
“There's a Kelantan-related link that I'd like to share with you and the readers here … There's a short … item of Demographics that might be of interest.”

Yes Mat. Interesting encapsulation of what the non-Malays of other parts of Malaysia should have been. I’ll reproduce the pertinent segment here:-

Chinese assimilation in Kelantan is manifested as: "Malay behaviour as frontstage and Chinese behaviour as backstage". "Frontstage" or public behaviour includes speaking Kelantanese Malay even when among themselves, adopting Malay-style clothing, and observing certain Malay customs and holidays. "Backstage" or private behaviour includes maintaining certain traditional Chinese beliefs and customs confined only within the home. Many Kelantanese Chinese feel a sense of separateness from other Malaysian Chinese people due to their illiteracy and lack of fluency in Chinese.

In Kelantan, the Chinese see themselves as either Cina Kampung (village Chinese) or Cina Bandar (town Chinese). Famous Chinese villages in Kelantan include Kampung Tok'kong (300 year old temple), Batu Jong, Kampung Jelatok, Kampung Temangan, Kampung Mata Ayer, Kampung Tawang, Kampung Balai, etc.

In other parts of Malaysia, the Chinese see themselves as Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, identifying themselves by the Han subgroup their ancestors were part of in China. However, this is not so in Kelantan. Descendants of the earlier waves of small-scale migration are known as Orang Cina kita (our very own Chinese) and the elders are seen as Orang Kelantan betul (true Kelantanese). Speaking the Kelantanese Malay dialect with fluency unites both Cina Kampung and Cina Bandar.

The Chinese in Kelantan have native speaker competence in the Kelantanese dialect. It is impossible to tell a Malay from a Chinese by just listening to his speech in the Kelantanese dialect, without looking at the person.

The accommodations of the Chinese population have made communication between Chinese and Malays in Kelantan both easy and common. As a consequence, Kelantanese and Chinese view each other as individuals, rather than simply as representatives of cultural categories. The ability of the Chinese in Kelantan to accommodate Malay culture has facilitated significant entrepreneurial activities
.”

See people, I was not exaggerating when I said that the Kelantan social framework – with the Chinese effectively assimilated except for religion – mirrors that of Thailand and Indonesia and should be a working model for Malaysia as a whole. BUT a key pre-requisite: The Malays of the rest of Malaysia themselves must exhibit a Kelantanish disposition, including overwhelming pride and awareness of their identity, a positive self-image, strong group cohesion, a sense of shared destiny and profound pride in their bahasa, adat and budaya.

------------

Anonymous (November 8, 2008 4:51 AM) said:-
“Sadly missing from our current scenerio are the "Pahlawans" who would be going around " white washing " all street signs not in bahasa as had been done in early 70's. Turun la mai Penang. Dah kelam kabut dah ni. Mulut dah kena tutup dan tangan dah kena ikat Ka?”

I think its just a matter of time before the spraying spree kicks off, beginning in Balik Pulau and onwards to Bayan Baru and Glugor.

I’ll be ordering a crate-load for distribution. Nobody … nobody is going to desecrate my Bahasa Malaysia. Nobody.

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Pink Shades (November 8, 2008 7:22 AM) said:-
“I just want to let you know that I have posted a comment on chedet on Thursday quoting some paras from your post. I have duly made reference to your blog. I hope this is ok with you.”

No problem. As long as it is properly credited and referenced. And thanks for sharing your family experience in consciously assimilating into the Malay Race as an Anak Bangsa Malaysia..

------------

SatD said:-
“Had we driven the brits away with force do u think we would inherit their typical divide n conquer strategy(thats how they managed to rule india with less than 500 people for years) which is the root problem of the mess we have now....”

Our fledgling Malay-based independence movement was pre-empted by the British colonial office when the Sukarno/Hatta-inspired leaders – Burhanuddin Helmi, Ibrahim Yaakob et al – were labeled “leftists” and “subversives” and effectively locked out of the deliberations. Malay anglophiles and British-centric aristocrats were “roped in” and nurtured in an orchestrated pantomime of “negotiations” over what was already ours in the first place. A couple of bit players – Tan Siew Sin and VT Sambanthan – were added to the KL-London bandwagon and are lionised in our “history” as fellow perwiras of our independence “struggle.” Podaaah!!! The only “struggle” these guys were involved in was finding hotel rooms in bigoted 1950s London.

What would happened if the Malay nationalists had been the ones who extricated Malaya from British rule? Well, a myriad of cause-n-effect possibilities. BUT one things for sure: No chance for multi-racialism and dishing out kerakyatan percuma to the 1.5m stateless Chinese and Indians in 1957. Oh, and Lee Kuan Yew would have been banished to Pulau Natuna loooong before he could do any damage to Johor's Pulau Singapura.

SatD said:-
“hok pase tokpek tok reti kecek tu meme ambo beci bena..gi kelik negaro mu balik la..setuju...pasa bahaso kita dulu baru bahaso laing buat serupo ora rusia...”

SatD, beto. Kito keno buak caro Pak Harto dé Phibun Songkhram. Nyo béhé pok-pok tokpék sapo tubik punak – peghik sapa nok akak muko tok beghaning. Yolah, sejok jamé demokrasi baru ni, tokpék Indo pong doh nok mulo jadi Cino totok balik, tapi si Jawo, Sunda, Madura dll tok aké bui si tokpék nih naik palo lebih-lebih. Kawé nok gi jupo si mamak Abdul Azeez Abdul Raheem nok sughoh keghoh pok-pok Mat Rempit gi béhé tokpék Pula Piné. Tapi kalu buaa hal nih, sedak nga Beréhéng Ali.

And SatD said:-
“Hok serabutnyo our spineless politicians who would rather not face this issue head on...they just dont have the political will do to so n the racist opposition would harp on the issue n misdirect the whole discussion into preserving their own's culture instead of the greater good.....”

Hok sedihnyo, by the time a Malay politician becomes senior enough to influence major policy changes, he/she is already embedded in the prevailing economic-political framework infested with “runners,” towkays, introducers, proxies and the ubiquitous broker angins. I’ve been a guest at many of their gaudy mansions and holiday dachas and glimpsed a lifestyle of 6-7 sleek automobiles; foreign shopping sprees; trophy wives and back-up gundiks; RM100 tips to waiters; a busload of unproductive, resource-squandering spoiled offsprings with obscene expense accounts; and a coterie of courtiers and psycopants and parasites living off the circus. These people are not going to change the status quo that has so richly rewarded them.

What we need is a strong-willed idealist, perhaps a renegade General totally committed to his Negara, Agama, Bangsa, Bahasa dan Tanah Air who is willing to make do in a Spartan existence while he cleans up our decaying social and political milieu.

SatD further said:-
“Imagine this after 51 years how come someone could not have done something with this issue??? Lets say we go back to days after NOC..could they have not tot of the same thing.....THAT WAS THE RIGHT MOMENT....but instead here we are....sad...sad ....”

Absolutely, the post “513” NOC Administration – effectively a military-backed junta answerable only to the DYMM SPB YDP Agong – was in a perfect position to settle all these race/language irritants once and for all. And, indeed, the NOC decreed many clean-up measures, including the wholesale razing of gangster-infested Chinese ghettos in the Raja Laut and Chow Kit areas, “taking-out” the top Tiger Generals of the KL triad underworld, and commandeering heavy trucks and machinery owned by the Chinese towkays to pre-empt any silly Chinese moves.

Indeed, more ultra-nationalist elements in the NOC, particularly the Army Generals wanted more “drastic” assimilative measures but the politicians wanted a quick fix via active suasion (Rukunegara, Bahasa Malaysia curriculum, Muhibbah) and reverted to civilian rule too soon.

BTW, SatD, thanks for your “tribute” in your own blog. Kawé raso macé selébreti. Bilo pulok nok masok Melodi?

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TONGKANG (November 8, 2008 10:49 AM) said:-
“Pak Kuning kerja kuat, pasai kena hantak duit bagi Tok Moyang dan kerabat yang tak dapat cari rezeki diNegara sendiri. Mat Salleh ni pekena semua orang. Cara hidup kita relax, depa jealous, katakana kita MALAS!!”

Ya, banyak orang keliru ketenangan hidup dengan malas.

Let me share a short story:-

A 50-something top notch GLC CEO was holidaying with his family in a rustic resort at Bachok, Kelantan when he saw a group of local youths relaxing on the beach. He befriended them and took it upon himself to dish out free advice. He said: “You boys should work hard, get a boat and go fish. With your profits, you buy a bigger boat. Then upgrade to a deep sea fishing trawler. Then you invest in a shoreline cold room to store your catch. Then arrange a nationwide logistics network to deliver your catch nationwide. You have to work hard through this entire value chain. Then ….. if you worked really hard ….. in 30 years time ….. you’ll be a successful man like me. See, I’m able to spend a long weekend lazing on this pristine beach, soaking in the seabreeze and the fresh seafood as I enjoy the fruits of my 30 years of hard work, of my tenacity, of my …. .” The GLC chieftain was rudely interrupted by one of the youths who uttered: “But sir, we are ALREADY enjoying what took YOU 30 years to achieve. We are already lazing on this pristine beach, soaking in the seabreeze, enjoying the fresh seafood not over a long weekend BUT everyday of our lives, and unlike you we are still young and full of energy to partake in all the activities this beach lifestyle has to offer.”

Moral of the story? Do not confuse blissful contentment with laziness. A “hard working” guy could just be a dumbass doing simple tasks the hard way. There is a thin line out there separating “working hard” and “hardly working.”

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Pink Shades (November 8, 2008 4:50 PM)
“Congratulations! As you may already know, your blog has been mentioned in The Star today 9th Nov on page F27 in an article titled “Windmills of Political Change” by Suhaini Aznam. I quote, “Jebat Must Die, Demi Negara, Chedet are all very influential, he added.” Very influential indeed. My three favourite blogs!”

Hey Pink Shades, thanks!

I didn’t know until you said it here.

My reaction? I don’t know what to say. I’m doing this not for the glory or for fame and fortune. Demi Negara is just my pentas to express my thoughts and to share knowledge and experience with fellow citizens and visitors from around the world. That’s all.

------

Apocryphalist said:-

“Thuswith do we find Kijangmas’ take on an issue which I think is at the heart of the inter-racial divide in this country. Perhaps it is a best kept secret of some sort: if only DAP had championed the cause of a single unifying language, culture and economic fairness in their drive for a “Bangsa Malaysia” instead of chauvinistically championing their Hainaneseness or Hokkienness or pushing the drive for singular-language roadsigns rather than what that Kok woman was proposing, this country could have been in the hands of oppositions for quite some time already. But I don’t mind to be wrong on that.”

Yup. But these Chinese chauvinists cannot make themselves do it as their twisted minds are overwhelmed by the irrepressible need to flaunt their Chineseness in full bloom for all to see. Their sole agenda remained the propagation of Chinese culture and the national language of the People’s Republic of China in our Tanah Air. Personally, these types of pests must be extinguished from our society for good. No more talks, no more debates, no more bargaining, no more give and take, no more tawar menawar. The only word left in my vast compendium of words for these rabble rousers is BERAMBUUUUSSS!!!

KijangMas said...

A true Malaysian said:-
“As I see it, it is impossible to have Bangsa Malaysia to be united under one language, your language, or mine language, at least and until the present movement ... To me, we should not put emphasis on which Bahasa to unite us but to let nature forces to decide which Bahasa to ultimately represents us, be it English, Mandarin, Tamil or Kelantanese, so long as we can use that language that is comfortable for us to communicate, share our thoughts and build up trust and confidence amongst us, people of diverse cultures and religions.”

Thanks for your thoughts.

Anyway, how do you envision a group of citizens “comfortable” in their very own English, Mandarin, Tamil and Kelantanese sitting down over a cuppa cha to talk intelligently about anything? Beyond the “lu sudah makan ka?” small talk, how could this collection of divergent linguists even begin to make sense to each other?

------

Msian in Perth said:-
“… Australia has the last couple of years or so adopted this policy whereby kalau sesiapa nak jadi Australian citizen, he/she has to undergo an exam or test of some sort. The exam is about the history, culture, values etc of Australia. They even expect u to know about the Aborigines. BAsically, if one is NOT aware or haven't the full knowledge of what Australia is all about with it's people, culture & what not then one is not deemed fit to be an Australian. One of the criteria is the english language of course. You have to know the langauge. If you don't know it, they will make you go for classes to master the language, at the Oz Govt expense lah.”

Thanks for sharing your observation of the Australian treatment of immigrants, with their emphasis on a singular unified language.

I noticed around other blogs and forums that non-Malay Malaysians (who has made it a habit to hantam the very Negara that clothe and feed them) like to compare Australia’s purported liberalism, meritocracy and embrace of all cultures and languages to the Malaysian Ketuanan Melayu stance.

These half-truths and outright lies include the total freedom of a Chinese to practice his/her culture to the hilt without so much as a whimper of disapproval from the Australian govt. or populace. And the sad part is that most of the ignorant readers “swallow” these fairytales as the gospel truth.

Let me ask: Can you just go build a shrine or kuil on a Perth road shoulder? Can you just strew 20 rickety tables and 100 plastic chairs on a Perth parking lot and nonchalantly cut-n-chop various carcasses on the sidewalk and throw the leftovers in the drains? Can you just plant a dozen pink and red and orange triangular flags laden with Chinese characters proclaiming who-knows-what on a busy Perth intersection? Can you go burn joss sticks and paper money on a Perth street and litter the pavement with decomposing oranges and nenas and a suckling or two? Can you talk at the top of your voice in Cantonese on your mobile phone in Perth’s elevators, cinemas and restaurants without incurring the wrath of the Aussie people? How about spitting and clearing your noses in public, at times six feet from people having their meals?

I don’t think so.

Also, intriguingly, I noticed Chinese Malaysians – the very people fighting for their language and culture here – would come back from Australia with a weird thick phony Aussie accent after just 12 mths of existence there. Their kecinaan had miraculously dissipated and subsumed by a grotesque, plasticky Aussie “goodaay” persona. Perhaps we can learn from the Aussies on how they transformed their incoming immigrants into wholesome assimilated Aussies in a relatively short timespan.


Msian in Perth also said:-
“… it triggered in me the mistakes I have made when it came to speaking Bahasa Melayu. I think my friends & i have taken the Bahasa Melayu for granted. We speak English abt 80% of the time padahal we are Malays. We all know why. It's because our parents speak English and to some extent our teachers in primary school spoke english to us. I asked my parents why they spoke mostly english at home & they said it was because they were English educated during their primary & secondary school days. Not that i'm blaming them but i do feel left out in the beauty of the bahasa Melayu. It has come to a point where i have to think in english before i can speak in malay sometimes.”

Interesting indeed.

You see, my father was as Anglophile as one can be, having studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, London with the likes of Hussein Onn, Kamarul Ariffin, Tg. Razaleigh, Manan Osman, Zainal Abidin Sulong and Eusoff Chin in the late 1950s at a time when most Melayus were still in their paddy fields or out fishing.

BUT he made it a point to always remind his children of the importance of our heritage, specifically the uniqueness of our Kelantan culture, the beauty of our Kelantan language, the richness of our traditions, the depth of our history. He went through considerable effort to expose us to the Wayang Kulit and other Kelantanese artforms. As a kid, I remember cruising with my dad through the remotest of villages and hamlets in Kelantan and the East Coast, often stopping to engage in small talk with the locals, treating them with respect, listening to their stories.

Hence, today, even as I jet-set across the globe to my many homebases, I’m at home and totally contented sharing a simple meal with the Oghé Kapong in a stall in the remotest corner of Kelantan (… and the Patani Region) in my faded Buttonfly 501 and RM3.90 Tesco T-Shirt while listening to their stories and sharing our life experience. Often, these hard working farmers and village folk are more real, more honourable than many people I met dressed in their ostentatious Armanis and Bruno Maglis and glittering Rolexes in the rarefied air of high finance and politics.

The key thing my father taught me was to be adaptable -- be able to seamlessly adjust to the different social milieu, and in my case it could be having late breakfast at the Sultan’s palace and having a Nasi Dagang with Kopi O late afternoon meal at a roadside warong on the same day without breaking stride in mindset and composure. And thankfully, my nine yr old son is already well-adapted to this multifarious existence that has thus far enriched his life as well. He told me over our lunch of Nasi Tumpang at a Jalan Kebun Sultan, Kota Bharu kopitiam yesterday that he has five on/off language buttons in his mind: Button 1: Standard RTM Bahasa Malaysia; 2: Baso Kelaté; 3: Manglish (with the ahs and lahs); 4: Queen’s English; and 5: American English (spiced with the South-Central LA ghetto ”watchalookin’at?” variety).

I must add that – in addition to his deep-rooted pride for everything Kelantan – my father stressed knowledge and encouraged me to be inquisitive from a very young age. Since childhood, he would make me read the English papers out loud to him in the evenings. By the time I’m in Standard Four, my English vocabulary and acumen began to match the cikgus BUT this did not sacrifice my competency in standard Bahasa Malaysia and grasp of the complex sentence structure, tonal subtleties and precise diction of my beloved Baso Kelaté.

--------

Malaysian Tigress said:-
“The others races now view anything associated with Melayu in a negative light. They would rather die first than be moulded in the current "arca Melayu" that we see, especially those from the younger, educated generation of the other races. I am saying this only with concern for the current state of the Malays which are often seen at two extreme ends of the spectrum. How does one regain the respect and maruah so that anyone would be proud to be a reflection of the arca melayu? And as it is, the weakened leaders are further accommodating the growing demands and division amongst the races in order to hold on to their positions. Can you imagine what furore and lost votes would result from abolishing vernacular schools and imposing what you mentioned on all the races? Do you think our leaders love the nation enough to do what is right for Malaysia or to do only what is right for themselves? (Same question for PR leadership and PAS too).”

Interesting points Tigress.

Personally, what the other races feel about the Melayus to me is (as they say in South Carolina) ain’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.

Who cares?

When did these Apeks, Ah Sohs, Ayyas and Appus have nice thoughts about the Malays anyway? That’s their default mode – to hate, to irritate, to unravel and bring into disrepute anything even remotely associated with the Malays.

Pushing an Anak Bangsa Malaysia dalam Arca Bahasa dan Budaya Melayu agenda and “regaining the maruah of the Malays" are two distinct workstreams. And one task cannot wait for the completion of the other. It needs to be done concurrently, and I see the maruah Melayu rising as we evolve the Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

As for the “furore and lost votes” resulting “from abolishing vernacular schools” and the imposition of an Anak Bangsa Malaysia agenda, it’s not that simplistic. You see, democracy is all about numbers. At this very juncture, I would say 90% of the non-Malays are already voting Pakatan Rakyat. Even if tomorrow the Federal Govt. institute more pro-Chinese/Indian measures and Najib suddenly speaks Mandarin every single minute of his political career, the non-Malays will still vote Pakatan Rakyat or whatever other political coalition the DAP racists got themselves into. The non-Malay votes are gone. So don’t make a big deal out of it.

The good thing here is that these cucu-cicit pendatang yang tak mengenang budi had shown their “hand” on the political poker table (… and it sure ain’t a Royal Flush). They have no more cards in their deck to “offer’ the government. So I treat them as a lost cause, indeed, …… good riddance.

BUT, the Malays – who hitherto are split into THREE parties, UMNO, PKR and PAS – would substantially close ranks and, as a strengthened block, would outvote the non-Malays and retake the Perak and Selangor governments with a vengeance. Even if the non-Malays vote 100% Pakatan Rakyat, you only need 70-85% of the Malay vote to form Malay-only governments in Perak and Selangor. Kedah and Kelantan are already Malay and through demographics, will always be in Malay hands. We’ll discuss Penang later. Like I said, it’s a numbers game.

The “kingmakers”? PAS.

M. Tigress also said:-
“The others races now view anything associated with Melayu in a negative light. They would rather die first than be moulded in the current "arca Melayu" that we see, especially those from the younger, educated generation of the other races.”

Then I should speculate in choice plots at Nilai Memorial Park.

Haiya, you believe all these tong kosong bravado ah? You’ve been sneaking to MT and Unker Kit’s cesspool ka? C’mon lah, the Cina of Malaysia would “rather die” for ……. nothing. They have no cause that they would die for. Their minds just don’t work that way. Dying is the last thing they want to do as their syurga is right here, right now, in this dunia. The concept of delayed gratification in a land of milk and honey (but no sharks fin soup) via a complex credit and debit of lifelong pahalas and dosas just doesn’t appeal to them. In fact, even mentioning “die” is a great big pantang worthy of a two dozen limau cleansing ritual by the roadside.

You see, when Thailand acted in 1938, the over 30% ethnic-Chinese there “resisted” perhaps for half a day or upon the first whack of the 10-foot bamboo stick by the Thai Culture Police when they uttered a Chinese word in public, whichever came first. Saving their skin and their rice bowl always come first. You think they’ll die fighting and forego their succulent Bak Ku Teh, XO, mahjong, Dalian China Doll mistresses and bathroom tile clad mansions over some cakap Melayu issues? No way.

Believe me, if left with no choice (imagine a bloodshot Royal Malay Regiment battalion with fixed bayonets at their front door), these Apeks and Ah Sohs would be uttering pantuns and puisis while doing splits and somersaults in their underwear IF THEY HAD TO just to stay alive. Heck, I’m sure Unker Kit could improvise a few Wayang Kulit lines while staring at a bloodthirsty amok! Guan Eng, Karpal and Jeff Ooi sudah confirm will do the Dikir Barat, with Loh Gwo Burne as the Tukang Karut wearing a tengkolok and keris and all! Yup, anything untuk hidup.

No, seriously, the point is – these Cinas and Indias won’t die in resisting becoming an Anak Bangsa Malaysia dalam Arca Bahasa dan Budaya Melayu.

------------

Soldadu said...
"Listen bud, you got it all backwards. See what happens when you live a life of a non-conformist, striving hard to counter the irresistible force of Melayu-ness descending upon your dwindling kind? " (kijangmas)

that finally shows your hand, mind, soul, etc, doesn't it? what more is there to say?”

Finally got it ah? Yup, the above line just about encapsulates my “hand, mind and soul.” Now, have a nice life and don’t forget to stack up on your Darjah Satu Bahasa Malaysia books. You may need them sooner than you think ……

------------

Saiin Yasser said:-
“Belum pernah saya dapat belajaar perkara serius sebegini, tetapi mampu ketawa pecah perut sehingga keluar air mata. Terima kasih.”

Ya lah beb. Serius memang serius. Tapi kita jangan lupa ketawa. Manusia yang berminda paling tinggi ialah seseorang yang boleh ketawa dalam keseriusan. Fikirkanlah.

------------

saden said:-
“… unfortunately, the reality of our present situation is that the Chinese is a significant minority (30%), and they dominate economic activities, enabling them to become self-sufficient in their enclaves. In this case, to impose assimilation would require doing so at gunpoint.”

Saden, thanks for your thoughts. Firstly, the Chinese now composed not 30% but a rapidly dwindling 23.6% of the Malaysian population. The upcoming 2010 census will be a shocker for the non-Malays as the prolific Bumiputra birth rate, combined with the naturalized offsprings of the couple million Nusantara PATIs, will recalibrate the “Bumi:China:India” ratio to something like 70:22:6.

Anyway, ultimately, the continued ability of the Chinese to “dominate economic activities” would be dependent on a conducive socio-political climate, where Malay “irrationality” would not rear its ugly and painful head.

As for “doing so at gunpoint” I don’t think we are anywhere near that stage yet BUT it all depends on the actions and inactions of the non-Malays. Mandarin and Tamil scripts on Penang signboards has just led us closer to that option. I believe the Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Melayu may have something to say on this soon. And when the Dulis speak, the various Di-Rajas -- Askar Melayu, Polis, Tentera Udara, Tentera Laut – will listen attentively.

Anonymous said...

Salam, Kijangmas. I like your story of the real racist and chauvinist Chinamen, inspite of the cynicism and apology for all the 'pantun' and 'seloka' of the polite Melayu. I'll be quoting you at length in our publication, 'Warta Gapena' specifically the few pages on the real racist and chauvinist. Hope you don't mind. Regards. Hak Melayu.

Saya... said...

Hey ladies....stop the bitching for a moment...

I have a story to share.

I have been helping a homeless pair get a home and jobs (Malay, org Melaka and NS), man and woman, who have been sleeping on the sidewalks of Wangsa Melawati for three long years (I didnt notice until the last six months).

Tonite, i managed to get a local YB get them a proper home and the promise of jobs and marriage (they have been together living and sleeping by the sidewalk for so long that they couldn't part... kalau dah terlampau miskin, ugama pun tah ke mana) and I also made the YB promise me that they would be married and not separated..)...yay!

Earlier in the afternoon, when I went to talk to the woman, an old chinese man came up to me...he seemed very concerned. I asked him if he was also living on the street, and he said, no...he knew the woman from the time she was a kid selling kuih in front of his flat, he said, and when her grandma died, she sort of regressed, became a little childlike and has been living on and off the streets ever since.

He spoke immpeccable Malay...a melaka baba...and you know what he said, "saya hari2 datang sini dari Wangsa Maju(jalan kaki no less and his place is quite far from where the woman was)bawa beras sama minyak, kasi makan...dia tak tau buat api, saya dulu boy scout...saya datang buatkan dia api (by the roadside) supaya dia boleh masak, makan sama dia punya kawan"...his clothes looked like those of orang susah also.. but he has been making sure they have their beras for THREE years, DAILY now..and he even wanted them to share his small home, but his wife had died and his kids "banyak bising kalau saya bawak, saya pening kepala macam mau pecah!"

I asked him what he was carrying in his plastic bag, and he showed me...a sejadah he bought for them that he kept at his house so it wouldn't get dirty. He would bring it everyday, he said.

I wanted to cry. I joked with him, "uncle masuk Islam sajalah", since he had been mixing with Muslims for years and he said, "saya sudah janji bini saya sebelum dia mati, saya mesti mau itu sembahyang cina macam awak punya itu Koran untuk dia malam2, baca-baca...sudah janji sama dia sebelum mati...apa macam saya mau masuk Islam sekarang?"

The homeless man told me that this Ah Huat has been helping the poor all his life, esp the Malays...and let me tell you Kijangmas...he wasn't a rich man.

Tomorrow I know he will come at noon to light the kayu api for the woman so she can cook, and I am going to wait there for him and take him to her new home, so he won't be searching high and low for her...she is like a daughter to him in his care for her.

So all is not lost. We still have compassion and decency in people like Uncle Ah Huat, who made no demands of any equal rights or mentioned the NEP nor complained of discrimination or being marginalised or had any idea about whatever crappy games politicians were playing.

He just played the decent, compassionate human being.

(which was more than I could say for some (sori) Malay women who sniggered as they looked at the homeless woman who wasn't too bright and thus dressed a bit strangely)

Saya... said...

Btw...wa tatak baca itu MT lah!

Wa tatak suka itu RPK melayu celup hapa wa tatau...itu traitor sama negara, tulis merepek2...mau tulis surat sama Obama lagi...macam la itu Obama pedulik (prob busy picking out curtains for the rooms in the White House, poor henpecked husband he is)

Anonymous said...

“… this is the issue that I face every working day at a private university where the students argued that it's "democratic" to be talking in their "mother tongue" right under my very nose in lecture and tutorial classes. Sorry to be skeptical but I've given up counter-arguing that it's "disrespectful" (in plain terms - RUDE) and am leaving for greener pastures where the leaders don't pretend to be "democratic" or "populist". And to think that I once fancied myself to be a 'progressive' and a defender of 'multiculturalism'.”

Baiti, where are leaving to, Oman? You are now in UTAR, or may be not? I cannot imagine lecturing in UTAR. I visited UTAR once or twice and was briefed by the President during my first visit when UTAR was established and remembers vividly the proud President of the newly established university that UTAR will one day be the largest university in Malaysia with branch campuses in all states. And today, with strong financial backing and supports from chauvanist chinese community, who would cheat the Inland Revenue Dept. to avoid paying tax, pumped millions into UTAR and TARC every year.

I remember during that visit to UTAR, the university officials brought us around to show us the facilities manned by `imported' technician from Taiwan. Today, UTAR has surpassed many public universities in terms of teaching-learning facilities. I'll deliberate more on the development of chinese higher education in future posting - if I don't get moderated out by KijangMas :) and what it meant to Malaysia nation building.

KijangMas, do drop by in Penang for a plate of nasi melayu at restoran minah in glugor or rojak Pitchai at Sungai Nibong. It's sad to see what's happening in Penang. In a ceramah to Kelantanese school children who visited my university several years back, I told them that don't be surprised that one day, they need a passport to come to Penang. It's another Singapore in the making, IF we're not doing anything. May be KijangMas has other preditions about future of Penang. May be, just may be, the Sultan of Kedah would like to take back Penang. After all, Penang was given to the British through an Agreement, which I supposed we can nullify it, if we want.

Back to your topic about racism, it's a tragedy really that our nation is moving towards destruction. When I was in standard one in Sek Ren Ismail Petra back in 1965, I remember my class teacher, Mrs Yeow, a chinese teacher would combed my hair every morning. I still have my class photo which showed me sitting next to her in the centre, although I wasn't the class monitor. But, I supposed she simply likes me.

But, those were the days. I wonder what happen to my chinese friends, Wong Fung Sim, Peter Hong Hock Guan, Yong Chae Hung (Korean) and many others.

You had nasi tumpang at a kopitiam in Jln Kebun Sultan? Was it the kopitiam right the junction? I missed nasi tumpang. The last time I was back in Kota Bharu, I bought the nasi tumpang just to show to my children all the different types of nasi we have in Kelantan for breakfast.

Anonymous said...

BaitiBaharuddin said:
“… this is the issue that I face every working day at a private university where the students argued that it's "democratic" to be talking in their "mother tongue" right under my very nose in lecture and tutorial classes. Sorry to be skeptical but I've given up counter-arguing that it's "disrespectful" (in plain terms - RUDE) and am leaving for greener pastures where the leaders don't pretend to be "democratic" or "populist". And to think that I once fancied myself to be a 'progressive' and a defender of 'multiculturalism'.”

Baiti, where are leaving for, Oman? Private University, UTAR right? I cannot imagine lecturing in UTAR. I visited UTAR once or twice and was briefed by the President during my first visit when UTAR was established and remembers vividly the proud President of the newly established university that UTAR will one day be the largest university in Malaysia with branch campuses in all states. And today, with strong financial backing and supports from chauvanist chinese community, who would cheat the Inland Revenue Dept. to avoid paying tax, pumped millions into UTAR and TARC every year.

I remember during that visit to UTAR, the university officials brought us around to show us the facilities manned by `imported' technician from Taiwan. Today, UTAR has surpassed many public universities in terms of teaching-learning facilities. I'll deliberate more on the development of chinese higher education in future posting - if I don't get moderated out by KijangMas :) and what it meant to Malaysia nation building.

KijangMas, do drop by in Penang for a plate of nasi melayu at restoran minah in glugor or rojak Pitchai at Sungai Nibong. It's sad to see what's happening in Penang. In a ceramah to Kelantanese school children who visited my university several years back, I told them that don't be surprised that one day, they need a passport to come to Penang. It's another Singapore in the making, IF we're not doing anything. May be KijangMas has other preditions about future of Penang. May be, just may be, the Sultan of Kedah would like to take back Penang. After all, Penang was given to the British through an Agreement, which I supposed we can nullify it, if we want.

Back to your topic about racism, it's a tragedy really that our nation is moving towards destruction. When I was in standard one in Sek Ren Ismail Petra back in 1965, I remember my class teacher, Mrs Yeow, a chinese teacher would combed my hair every morning. I still have my class photo which showed me sitting next to her in the centre, although I wasn't the class monitor. But, I supposed she simply likes me.

But, those were the days. I wonder what happen to my chinese friends, Wong Fung Sim, Peter Hong Hock Guan, Yong Chae Hung (Korean) and many others.

You had nasi tumpang at a kopitiam in Jln Kebun Sultan? Was it the kopitiam right at the junction? Or the one at one of the business lots where the Tengku Temenggong's orginal land was? I missed nasi tumpang. The last time I was back in Kota Bharu, I bought the nasi tumpang just to show to my children all the different types of nasi we have in Kelantan for breakfast.

Saya... said...

and yes, I like an UMNO, PAS, PKR marriage too, provided UMNO gets exorcised first of its evils (maybe by Harun Din?)...hahaha

But will they ever see the bigger picture until its too late?

Anonymous said...

"And the bigger tragedy here is the continued existence of Orang Melayus who support this state government. Their hatred of UMNO/BN and collaboration with the anti-Malay forces led to this and other provocative acts by non-Malay chauvinists now holding the reins of power courtesy of these short-sighted Melayu Pengkhianat Bangsas in Perak and Selangor. And I’ve not even begin to talk about Penang." (Kijangmas)

- We dont know who you are but we now know what you are. It is all about politics ya? To vote against UMNO means someone is anti malay?
No wonder you hentam DAP, LKS, Jeffooi, teresa kok..nasib baik kamu tak hentam tok guru yg dikasihi.. or u will face the wrath from people like me..
You dont want a unifying agenda but you want an UMNO agenda!.
What you have been saying in here have been said by UMNOputras for a long time. Just like them You fan racist sentiments to forward your political agenda. You said so; melayu yang tak undi UMNO ni pengkhianat bangsa? Siapa pengkhianat? Berani kau panggil aku pengkhianat?...siapa pengkhianat bangsa? pemimpin yg songlap duit rakyat , yang ambil komisyen berbilion ringgit wang rakyat? atau rakyat yg undi untuk menghantar mesej kepada pemimpin supaya mereka sedar?

You have lost credibility. You sound like an UMNO agent from the beginning. Now your words confirmed that you are really one. Berani kamu kutuk lah Tok Guru. Alang2 lah.. dah tu kau ni org UMNO kan?

Semoga Allah menyedarkan kamu.

Anonymous said...

The world facing bleak economic meltdown and this ultra racist has nothing more than to bitch about road signs. Wake up because soon your fellow malays that you love and fight for may be facing bigger problems such as unemplyment, spiralling inflation, increase crime rate and many other economic problems. Put down the Hai, Mastika and switch off the akademi fantasia and start to worry about the real issues you and your malaysians are about to face. quit bitching about road signs and start thinking about how to survive the upcoming onslaught of economic despair. twat.

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas, kawe tok jupa lagi oghe buleh berujah macam demo. keghah, tapi buke keghah tok ghetu kalu. buah demo bui masak molek.

kawe TABIK demo!

Anonymous said...

Demi Negara,

I am just speechless with your strong arguments.

Well done!

Ambopun ore Kelate tapi English tok leh lawe demo punya

Anonymous said...

Everything that you have said is voided in so many ways by the very fact that you said in all in English.

Do you not realise the irony in the fact that as more people read, understand and agree with your views, they are doing so by virtue of their grasp of the English language. That you have chosen to communicate using English is also ironic in the context of this post.

Not only is it hypocritical, but it is also the best illustration of why your stance on Bahasa Malaysia being the national unifying language, lacks any recognition of the current reality.

The reality being, that as you so well attempted to articulate this grand (and perhaps, real) vision on your readers, you have chose to use English.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, this fact alone portrays the subpar usage, effectiveness and preference of BM as a language... especially when you are trying to communicate what is essentially an important issue, which in this case happens to be the use of the language itself.

Adidas Cat said...

Dear Demi Negara,

Thank you for not only your wonderfully written piece but also your meticulous and detailed replies to the comments.

I am a Malaysian studying abroad of Indian extraction just FYI and I must say that I whole heartedly support your concept of bangsa Malaysia simply because it makes sense.

I have one question regarding this statement you made which may just open a whole new can of worms:
"Look at the smug faces of Abdul Azeez Raheem, Reezal Naina Merican, Nor Mohd Yakcop, Zainuddin Maidin,Dr. Zambry Yahya, Shahrizat Jalil, Khadir Sheikh Fadzir and other newly minted Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Melayu dan berlandaskan budaya Melayu. See. They get it. They know what it takes to thrive in Malaysia via their acts to Masuk Melayu"

Now one problem that I see is that in order to 'Masuk Melayu', one will have to 'Masuk Islam' as well and freedom of religion is something that I personally value very much, as much the Bangsa Malaysia concept itself.
Now how do you suggest that we remedy this?

And I would like to side-step from that a little bit and if possible get you to comment on the definition of being 'Malay'. Currently some people (mainly politicians from my observation) claim that there is 3 defining criteria, language: Malay, culture: Malay and religion: Islam while others (including academicians, again based on my personal observation) say that religion does not fit into that equation.

Thanks again.

Adidas Cat said...

Dear Kijang Mas,

i think i referred to you as 'demi negara' in my previous comment. Sincere apologies for that.
Thanks again.

teohjitkhiam said...

Hello, sir/madam. I didn't really take the time to read everything, and merely took a glance at it. But I must say I am in agreeance with you on the language issue. Perhaps by mastery of Malay Language by all, then a sense of equality, both figuratively and literally can be achieved and then we can call ourselves Bangsa Malaysia. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Cina dan India generasi muda sekarang fasih dalam Bahasa Malaysia, yang tidak pandai bertutur cuma generasi tua. Apa sebab ? Bila kerajaan memaksa pelajar bukan Melayu belajar dalam medium BM, memang susah pada mulanya bagi pelajar bukan Melayu, tetapi setelah beberapa tahun, pelajar ini sekarang sudah pandai dalam BM dan juga dalam Bahasa Cina, India dan Inggeris. Bahasa International dan pasaran besar.

Bagaimana pula dengan pelajar Melayu ? Cuma pandai dalam BM . Dengan globalisasi, siapa yang rugi ? Orang Melayu yang tidak dapat berkomunikasi dengan orang luar negeri. Sedangkan orang bukan Melayu Malaysia untung sekarang kerana mereka pandai berbilang bahasa dan boleh pergi kemana saja untuk mencari rezeki.

Fikirkan dengan baik, kalau kerajaan tidak menggalakkan Bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa kedua, siapa yang rugi ? Bukan Cina dan India tetapi Melayu.

kucau said...

Kijangmas,

Ala, bukan sahaja orag cina biasa tidak boleh menulis atau bertutur dengan betul dlm bahasa melayu. Cuba tgk YB nie . nie contoh sedikit sahaja ni

http://weechookeong.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/questions-time-10-november-2008/#more-2137

cuba tulis bahasa malaysia tapi,

sector ?? ini bahasa apa?
industry ?? ini bahasa apa?
factor ?? ini bahasa apa??

ajip said...

tuan kenapa tuan masih menulis dalam bahasa queen england

nape tuan tak menulis dalam bahasa malaysia/melayu

kalau tuan tak tunjuk benda yang betul macam mana orangn lain nak ikut

kenapa parti tuan UMNO tak guna bahasa kebangsaan ? saya tak faham la tuan....parti tuan sendiri yang menghaprakkan bahasa melayu/bangsa melayu.....kenapa tuan nak salahkan orang lain pulak.... kalau tuan pergi ke indon, jepun, perancis, german, cina atau england... parti mereka di sana memperjuangkan bahasa kebangsaan mereka....bukan macam parti tuan.... nama pun dah tiru.... lepas tu parti tuan nak ajar matematik dalah bahasa queen england pulak tu..... tu yang ramai bodoh bahasa melayu/malaysia tuan.....lepas tu tuan salahkan orang lain pulak....tuan memang bijak.... parti tuan dah bodohkan ramai orang selama ini dan akan terus memperbodohkan orang lagi tuan.....cukup2 lah parti tuan bodohkan rakyat malaysia dengan isu2 begini..... dah 50 tahun...tak cukup lagi ker? apa kata parti tuan ubah ke nama melayu dan ajar semula matematik dan sains dalam bahasa melayu/malaysia sebagai permulaan untuk berubah?

kat bawah ni profesor melayu cuba jawap mahathir mengenain isu sains dan matematik dalam bahasa queen england.... panjang jugak tulisannya....macam tulisan tuan jugak....baca sampai habis ye

http://shaharirbmz.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I love this piece of writing. Goes to my bones !! Well done. Bringsa back memories of my school days, used to watch football at Stadium Merdeka with my friends of ALL RACES and cheered for Soh Chin Aun and Malaysian team lawan Singapura!! We were really Bangsa Malaysia THEN. Whats happening now?? Our politicians have screwed it all along the way...I worry my children will not know what Bangsa Malaysia is.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, a well written piece and I must say it was written with a wide understanding of all the elements required to put your thoughts through and rationalised to support it. I however detected that you are somewhat skewed towards on how Bangsa Malaysia should be like instead of looking at it on a much wider perspective without any skewed thoughts. You have already come this far with this well written piece, why skewed it? The following are some questions that may provide some answers to our Bangsa Malaysia race.

a. Do you know today there are more Chinese and Indians and other non Malays who can speak and write Bahasa Malaysia than in the past?

b. Do you know there are not many Malays who can speak Mandarin or Tamil and if we do know of one, the is a reason for their ability.

c. Do you know most Chinese and Indians who were born in Malaysia do not feel that China or India is their country and would think Malaysian first? Then who always reminded us as Chinese, Indians or others? Look at all application forms to be filled or even our IC.

d. If this is so, do you know why we still feel different being a Malaysian yet we do speak BM?

e. Do you know why the Chinese blend into the Thai culture so well? As for Indonesia, although they do speak BI but they are still different from the other Indonesians, why? Also, although they have Thai and Indonesian names, do you know there are elements of Chinese names behind their Thai and Indonesian names?

f. Do you know there is a distinction between the Chinese Thais and Chinese Indonesians? Religion wise.

g. Do you know we can unite all races into one single race like Bangsa Malaysia by willing assimilation or by force?

h. If we ever managed to unite all races under Bangsa Malaysia, wouldn't it be better if we can utilise the most effective elements that would have less resistance than the other way round?

i. Don't you think English is a macro language to unite than Bahasa Malaysia which is a micro language? Why attempt to unite under Bahasa Malaysia when we can unite under English? Look around us, countries that have achieved under their country's national language are also scrambling to learn English but we almost eradicated English in the last 30 years! For your information I do speak and write BM but do you speak and write Mandarin?

j. Don't you think it would be advantageous to speak and write English under today's economic condition? In fact, it would be wise to speak and write Mandarin for economic reasons, putting race aside.

k. Would you agree that religion should be an individual and a private matter that must not interfere another person's way of life? If we start to impose our religious belief onto other people's way of life, it would only make our objective to achieve Bangsa Malaysia more difficult.

Lastly, I must again congratulate you for your well written piece and my only hope is that you give my questions some thoughts to provide some sense of balance.

Anonymous said...

I'm interested in what you think should be done about the Malay-speaking Thais in Southern Thailand? Force them all to speak Thai & ban Malay? One shouldn't have one rule for Malaysia & another for other countries....

Also interested to hear about these non-Malay celebrities not speaking Malay. Let's face it - if Tony Fernandez is speaking, there are probably 50 foreign journalists hanging around so the interview is most likely going to be in English - same with the others you mentioned. I'm willing to bet that most of them can speak Malay - except Alex Yoong maybe.

Also like to bring up a point about non-Malay schools in Malaysia. I have never been able to find out whether the Chinese & Indian Malaysians send their kids to Chinese & Indian schools for 'racist' purposes, or so they can learn their 'mother tongue' or because the National schools are, by-and-large, rubbish. I suspect more choose because of the latter argument. One isn't going to get Chinese going to Malay schools until there is a DRASTIC improvement in the quality of education as education is everything to most Chinese.

I say this as the father of a young Malaysian who can't speak Malay! My daughter needs to be able to compete in the global community. I will do everything it takes to help her. There are NO National schools anywhere near Ampang that give such an education - I did the research. I even considered putting my daughter into Chinese school but they wanted a bribe of RM10k to submit the application - I don't bribe.
So, my daughter is now in an International School costing me a fortune, but it will be worth it if she can make it anywhere in the world on her own.
Oh, and she has 1 lesson of Malay per week, where they learn 1 or 2 words per lesson. Sad, but true. If there were world-class National Schools my daughter would be in one, and I'd have an extra half a million ringgit in my pocket at the end of 12 years of schooling.

Anonymous said...

Hello KM,

Before I curi-curi put in my comments; I quote your goodself, before you blow me away with your Glock 22.40 Widowmaker or call me a SRJK (C);

"Ya lah beb. Serius memang serius. Tapi kita jangan lupa ketawa. Manusia yang berminda paling tinggi ialah seseorang yang boleh ketawa dalam keseriusan. Fikirkanlah". - You are human after all!

Ok, 'Apa macam bro?'And don't give me your 3 macam type of answer :).

Good post, lots of merits & points, I'll buy that, but no lah, don't change my original birth name or heritage or culture like the Thai/Indonesian version. Like you, these are sacred & dear to me too. So let's shake & settle on it.

Come to think of it, you & I have some sort of parallel world similarities too, like Superman & Bazarro Superman, you remembered that? While you were busy brushing up on your literacy/languages excellence, alas I was 'relaxing'too much as you can see my gasak gasak writing.

Great comments from your fans too; all high powered like Mat cendana said.(But sad there are still a few who need headbands to cover up their circumcision scars).

Hey Mat, I like your profound way of thinking, kudos. I think you actually 'cool' KM down heaps. See his responses to commenters the day before & the day after you commented. Big difference.

Hey KM, one quick question; how come you know all (& so much of) these intimate 'secrets' of these chinamen, even their lingo? Are you sure you are not one of them?

I lied, here's another question;

How come some malays nowadays treat us non-malays like we are 'tak halal' or like lepers? Talking about olden days football, we use to share drinks in one same pail, 4 cups only but no problem, even sharing a joint together.Nowadays they don't 'share' anymore, I'm puzzled?? Can you enlighten me?

I like your Buttonfly 501 & RM$3.90 Tesco T-shirt, whereas I normally wear my pagoda singlet & my blue stripe boxer shorts when I visit my own kampung.

BTW, sorry to say, I don't like ppl that carry guns. Having said that, I tot a man of your stature would be carrying a Walther PPK or a Magnum.

Confucius saying;
" If you go to bed with a sex problem in your mind, you'll wake up with a solution in hand the next day"

Cheers,
Unker Yew aka A knight in shining Armani.
Pls kirim salam to ZZ.

Anonymous said...

Saudara KijangMas,

Your article has been the subject of discussion on Rocky's Bru.

In particular, this anonymous commentator who had written in the comments section of Rocky's Bru. I reproduce the comment below:

"Anonymous said...

Be very careful about that demi negara (kijangmas). He is advocating malaysian nationalism based exclusively on malay characteristics and he wants that even at the expense of violence on those who do not subscribe to his bigoted views. He is also adept at skirting around the question of how to use the malay language today when almost all practical and advanced knowledge is moving at light speed in other languages, particularly the english language. And he is quick to blame the government for what he considers are misses in the process to make this whole country in his own mould.

Read not only his post but also his comments in that post, as well as the posts he made earlier.

Reading his rants disguised as queen's english, you can only wonder why he did not write it in bahasa malaysia in the first place.

One is reminded of someone else in history who started talking vociferously about nationalism; in the end he had to put a luger to his own mouth, leaving behind a trail of destruction that had finally left over thirty million dead in one continent alone.

Let it be said here and now; he and such as him are hardly qualified to be the new heroes to define what is malaysian nationalism. He is even against the word 'multiracial'. It is hoped all sane minded malaysians, especially the malay community, will put careful thought into this, and not just jump to easy conclusion that here is a guy who makes sense. Some, but in the end, what will it finally mean for all?

To show how complex is our situation, go here, select 'Malaysia' and 'peoples listing' and draw your own conclusions:

http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php

and also:

http://thextalks.blogspot.com/2008/10/demi-negara.html#comments

Special Branch and a psychiatrist specialising in xenophobia should pay him a visit.
12:49 PM "


Would be very interested to see your response of his claims.

Thanks and Salam.

MELAYU LAMA

eddy said...

Fantastic article sir, strikes the nail in the head. I do hope that the UMNO,MCA,MIC,DAP and PKR leadership would read this.

Alas, we know that many of our Nation's Decision and Policy makers who sent their children to International Schools like the Mary Ellis and many more around Kuala Lumpur. If these Orang-orang Besar, the Ministers are not convinced of the use of Bahasa Melayu for their own children education maka alamat memang susahlah hendak mencapai tahap Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa dan Satu Negara.

Richard Cranium said...

You are absolutely right that a common language is the most important unifying factor.

So, pray tell, can I call my God 'Allah' in my Bible? Or will you tell me that some words used by Malays are only for the use of [Muslim] Malays?

In all non-Malay circles, Bahasa Melayu-Bahasa Kebangsaan-Bahasa Malaysia is never disputed as the lingua franca. Yes, some don't speak as well as the native speakers. Surely you don't think the level of ease with a language means they are not qualified to be full citizens, do you?

Vernacular schools are not the problem. The so-called kebangsaan schools are the one! Many people send their kids to non-kebangsaan schools because the quality of the national schools stinks to high heavens. The popularity of vernacular schools is the direct result of declining meritocracy in the national ones.

The government, if it is serious about unity, can change this in a generation. But no, they keep putting in place policies and regulations that continue to pit one race against another. Do you know of such examples, considering that you are a Malay and may not be able to see the view from other side of the fence?

Anonymous said...

Kijangmas,

Thank you for responding to my comments. I still think we should not put emphasis on which language to unite Malaysians and let nature forces determine that. I emphasise on 'nature forces' because even if a non-Malay speaks that type of broken Malay such as 'lu sudah makan ka', so be it. We should not look down on them or laugh at them but encourage to talk in the brand of 'Melayu' they are used to.

As the more one speaks, the fluency of it will be improved. This is what I said 'leave to natural forces'.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of a Chinese Malaysian that need to learn Malay, English, Mandarin and dialects. Ask yourself, would you able to master all these languages?

So, we need to look at the problem at all directions, not just from our own race point of view. Also, very often, we forget the existence of rakyat in Sabah and Sarawak. They too are part of Malaysia but we often overlook their interest in deciding which language to unite Malaysians. Are they also agree wholeheartedly that Malay language should be the one?

By all means if ultimately we decide on Malay language. But lets do it on level playing field which the same rules applicable to all races. If not, suspicion will be forever there and Bangsa Malaysia will remain forever a dream.

BaitiBadarudin said...

denone, since u know me well, why don't u gimme a call and we can chat in private? Thanks!

Saya... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

...true malaysian

Quote...Try to put yourself in the shoes of a Chinese Malaysian that need to learn Malay, English, Mandarin and dialects. Ask yourself, would you able to master all these languages?...

I beg to differ on this point. My nephew, born and attended Preschool at St Palmers Primary Reading, UK came home at age 4years to Malaysia was not able to speak a single BM as his mum is like RPK's Mum. However,he managed to pick BM in less than a year.After sending 2years to preschool here.

Now attending SK and just completed his UPSR, besides BM/BI, he is doing very well in his Arabic (not just reading Quran).


Kalau mahu seribu daya...

Saya... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Kacau,

Your right. That stupid MP!
He should know that the highly advance and profound malay language has its own words to describe what he tried to say , namely;


sector should be "sektor"
industry should be "industri"
factor should be "faktor"


....silly MP, how can he use words that are not malay. He should use the pure and original malay words as pointed out above...

Anonymous said...

apale kau semua bising2 pasal bahasa malaysia tapi cakap dlm bahasa inggeris.
why u all like that wan? why paksa orang lain assimilate... bukan ke ini raja racisma? integrasi, integrasi, integrasi tapi berbual dlm bahasa malaysia (melayu), dengan cara ini kita semuar boleh maju tanpa diskriminasi.
hormat dari guakayuu

Anonymous said...

Itu KijangMas cakap;

"Gini kawé. Bilo abé kato kito keno semo kécék Bahaso Malaysia, buké niak abé tok sé bui kito kécék atawo baco bok oghé laing. Kalu tepakso, bok baso Jermae pong keno baco. Tapi hok abé tok sé kelih ialah pokpok buké Nayu ni hok doh seratuh tahong beghanok pinok di Bumi Tanoh Melayu kito nih tapi masih lagi toksé dé tok péhé Bahaso Kebangsé'é kito.
Abé kecik dulu kécék Kelaté sapa tadika omo limo tahong. Sepatoh pong tok tau baso Melayu standard. Cikgu kato “tilam” abé kato lémbék. Habih bbedé betih keno bedaa ko cikgu! Tapi dé besa, buleh jugok kécé Inggereh sapa gi belaja dé caghi pitih di Amerika betahong-tahong sapa kayo ghayo. Gaak? Pokoknyo (buké buoh nyo), Bahaso Malaysia jadi asas Bangsa Malaysia. Hok tuh penting. Lepah tuh, nok tamboh baso gapo pong tokpo. Lagi banyok, lagi kelah. Ko guano?"


gua cakap -

walauwei.. wa talak faham la taukey. Lu cakap olang cina talak cakap itu bahasa malayu betul2 ah. Lu cakap kita cakap bahasa malayu apek ahhh.. tapi lu cakap itu apa bahasa ahhh?
Itu bahasa lu cakap ada apploval dewan bahasa ka? apa pasal lu bole itu slang kelantan ah? tapi wa cakap bahasa malayu apek talak bule ah? walauwei.. wa manyak pening wooo. ini olang putih cakap lu talak "walk the talk" mahh.. olang malaysia cakap "u only talk the cock " mahhh..cakap talak selupa bikin punya.. KNN!

Anonymous said...

Excellent piece of work there!

I reckon that nobody can argue on this issue better than you just did.

Not even our Dear Tun Dr.M whom in his recent Bangsa Malaysia lecture came out lashing at the Chinese for not sending their kids to national schools because they are afraid that their children will become Chinese Rempit...

I'm sure he can argue it better, more constructively and had made careful observations and analysis of the reality first.

Btw, i'm a product of the national school. I'm all for the national school system and i'm not supportive of vernacular schools but i must say that our government itself is practicing segregation!

How you may ask. By setting up MARA and all these exclusively Malay institutions until they recently open up 10% to non-Bumis.

Well, i attended a sekolah kebangsaan primary school and the race ratio between Malays and non-Malays is 50:50. We mingled very well and i could still remember all my close Malay friends in Standard 6. We spoke about enrolling into the same secondary school after Standard 6.

My world crumbled after i found out that most of them were recruited to attend one of the MARA institutions thus could not join me in my new secondary school. By Form 3, all of them have left for MARA, especially the academically brilliant ones.

Thus left the non-Malays to compete with one another and the Malays left in school were the 'mat rempits'. The balance was lost. There was no more integration in school and i gradually lost touch with my Malay friends in MARA as most of them were sent outstation. Thanks to today's technology, i recently managed to locate some of them.

I wonder if our government practice what they preach. If they don't lead by example, how are they gonna expect the rakyat to follow? Ministers send their children to international schools and private schools instead of national schools and such. It has to start somewhere.

Anonymous said...

Saudara Kijang Mas;

Tahniah kerana berjaya menulis satu artikel yang amat baik yang saya percaya akan sentiasa disebut-sebut bukan sahaja dikalangan bloggers , tapi di media massa lain pada satu hari nanti.

Saya terdengar pandangan TDM di TV3 baru tadi mengenai konsep bangsa Malaysia yang senada dengan pandangan saudara.Tahniah Bro!

Saya rasa perlu lagi ramai bloggers yang berani tampil (walaupun anonymous) untuk berdebat dengan pendokong konsep 'Malaysian Malaysia' yang berkiblatkan Singapura sebagai model.

Konsep 'meritocracy' tanpa perbezaan kaum diperjuangkan dan katanya penyebab utama negara tersebut jauh maju kedepan dari negara kita. Betulke begitu?

Bacalah satu artikel menarik dari seorang wartawan Singapura yang bekerja di Straits Time. (Rujuk di http://nfirdaus.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/malays-n-singapore/ - bukan blog saya) Halusilah hati nurani penulis ini yang saya percaya mewakili sebahagian besar orang Melayu Singapura.

Lupakanlah label 'meritokrasi' yang dilaung-laungkan oleh mereka kerana hakikatnya diskriminasi terhadap kaum Melayu Singapura adalah benar-benar berlaku.

Saya setuju dengan 'approach' saudara kepada bangsa yang telah naik tocang dan lupa daratan ini Kalau tidak suka cara kita' BERAMBUSS! - Kalau ada yang terasa maafle. Tengah mendidih ni!.

Kembara Politik said...

I'm speechless.

A 5-star article!

Anonymous said...

"At no point I felt threatened or being forced to accept anything, including the religion. In fact we learned to understand Islam better. My understanding and the message I get from the teachers at that infacy stage is that there's nothing wrong with Islam, it's just the people who proclaim themselves Islamic and promote their own agenda the wrong way. I think the problem remains the same today. I also think that the over-islamisation of some schools and massive negative publicity they receive when something goes wrong in national schools, prompts parents to run for cover and their cover is Tamil and Chinese Schools."

-Balan (one of yr readers)

I think this is exactly what non-Malays feel about the national schools.

Looking at the trend today, more non-Malay parents send their children to vernacular schools due to a number of issues which includes the over-islamisation of some national schools. It wasn't the same when i left school just about 8 years back!

Let me give you an example, a few years back my former secondary school started collecting funds from every student to build a surau in the school and in recent years they enacted Jawi writings everywhere including the main entrance making it more prominent than the Bahasa Malaysia sign. Is Jawi our tulisan kebangsaan for that matter?

Was your sekolah kebangsaan the same back then?

The subject of Tamadun Islam should be retained though for a good understanding of Islam which is also the official religion of our country. It was one of my favourite subjects back in high school and i'm glad i loved it. Now i can relate to my Muslim friends very well thanks to my knowledge of Islam through that subject.

Anonymous said...

Anonynous...kalau seribu daya,

Some people are just 'genius' in picking up languages, but this is not applicable to all especially Chinese Malaysian. The structure of Mandarin is totally different from that of Malay and English. Mandarin words are not based on A, B, C and have no vowel.

If Bahasa Melayu Pasar can build up trust and confidence amongst rakyat, why not?

Apocryphalist said...

Richard Cranium eh? Slurrrrrrp! This one’s mine!

Ok Dicky, before I go on, I just kinda wonder what kind of Richard Cranium you are. I mean, you know---people get all camouflaged by names sometimes. There was this Pang Siew something when I was small and she one day decided, you know, well since a name that reminds one of the crashing of glasses or the clinging of bells is not that much cool, she, well sort of, you know---added a “western” name in front of her. And thus then she became… hey presto! Hyapatia Siew. Now what could be more electrifying than that, you tell me. Anyway some years later I heard Miss Pang went overseas to study, fell in love and married an Australian, and suddenly she now goes around under a different name. Rumour has it that former friends were quite shocked getting phone calls from one Hyapatia Rees-McGovern but having some kind of tumbledown accent interspersed by the “laa” the “maa” and the occasional made-in Seputeh cockeyed-grammar. Hey what are you people giggling about. Surely Hyapatia anything is so much closer to Madonna, Paris Hilton and Avril Lavigne and definitely much cooler than Kalsom Bee or Rafe’ah Ong?

So Dicky boy. Sure you don’t have slitty eyes?

Well anyway Dick, you wanna put “Allah” in your bible huh? Sure why not. Can you write a petition too that each and every Bible in the world, right from the Coptic gospels in North Africa, to each RSV copy in the European countries, the testaments used by the Eastern Orthodox churches, the numerous King James issues everywhere else, and all the different kinds of gospels that the Vatican keep, both the ones made public plus the ones that are not, be made to have “Allah” in them too? I am sure the Pope would be happy to hear from you.

What’s that? Oh you want to put Allah ONLY in the areas where there are only malay populations! Ah I see. In other words you want to mislead and convert. Well that’s a tad difficult, Dicky boy. You see, if you really believe that Allah is the name of God in the bible then I am sure that the Pope and the numerous DD’s in America and Europe would have put it there too. But you see, they don’t! They just wanna put it there in the case of the Malaysian and Indonesian audience for one and ONLY one purpose: to hopefully mislead the malays into thinking that they are all the saaaaame, anyway. That’s easier for the purpose of conversion, you see. Let’s not beat around the bush.

But that’s where the problem is, Rick old man. The entity called “Allah” as mentioned in the Qur’an is NOT the same as the entity “God” in your bible. What do you mean of course they are. Of course they are not! Why? Simply because … the word “God” does not mean “Allah”.

God is a description. A depiction of a mighty being. Allah is a NAME of a mighty being. The difference? Simple. I tabulate here that simplicity:-

Base :: In Bible/other Literature :: In Quran

Base Noun :: God :: Allah
Plurality :: Gods :: None
Gender :: Goddess:: None
GenderPlurality ::Goddesses:: None
Sub-entities:: Godlings::None
Others :: Godlingettes :: None

You see Dicky Ricky, we can also associate or attach verbs and adjectives to the word God but not to the word Allah. The verbs [Godly, Godliness, Godliest, Goddamn, Godforsaken] can therefore be translated to [Ter-Allah, Ke-Allah-an,Ter-Allah sekali, diCelakakan-Allah, diTinggalkan Allah]. Now if that doesn't sound ridiculous, I am the father of Prince William.

Oh and Ritchie, we must not also forget the world of Arts, Literature and Entertainment, where the usage of the word God, if catapulted to Allah, will … err… sound a bit less hollywoodish:-


Children of a Lesser God (Film): Anak-anak dari Allah yang sedikit kureng

The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy novel): Allah bagi bende-bende yang kecil

Of Gods and Men (Star Trek drama) : Perihal Allah-Allah dan Manusia

Chariots of the Gods (von Daniken book): Kereta-kereta kuda Allah-Allah

God of the Machine (Isabel Patterson novel): Allah bagi Jentera

Hammer of the Gods (Led Zeppelin wanna-be band): Tukul Besi Allah-Allah

(Ishh. I takut thunderbolt strikes my head jer bila do these blasphemous translations!)

You see, Dicksie my man, I suggest that reaaaaaally the bible should adopt the name Allah in totality. And by that I mean the world over, not just for the Malaysian audience. Because the word God is not suitable at all. It can be freely used to describe objects other than divinity, and sometimes something just opposite to it:-

Gods - Upper Seatings in a theatre

Godland - Title of Comic Series

So Ricardo dear, if there are sooooooooooooo many things that you can manipulate with the word God as used in the Bible that you can’t possibly do with the name Allah, to what purpose is it that you still want to translate that name for? Of course, if your bible writers now sincerely repent their ways and start to use Allah in ALL the copies of the bible in this world, we muslims are more than just happy to help.

“Ah But these are just semantics. Word gymnastics. We are talking more about the entity that both Muslims and Christians agree as the creator of the heavens and the Earth. Surely you can’t be saying that these are two different entities? And if they aren’t, why can’t we use the same for both Bible and Qur’an?” Do I hear you say that Ritchie Rich?

Well first and foremost, are we REALLY talking about the same God now? The same Allah? Let’s see if they really are the same:-

God in the Bible: Has a begotten Son
Allah in the Quran: Doesn’t have this feature
God in the Bible: One of a Trio of Godhood
Allah in the Quran: Doesn’t have this feature
God in the Bible: Vengeful
Allah in the Quran: Doesn’t have this feature
God in the Bible: Jealous
Allah in the Quran: Nope
God in the Bible: Prejudicial to women
Allah in the Quran: Nada
God in the Bible: Racist to blacks
Allah in the Quran: Uh-uh

Oh and you must not forget the other human qualities that this Deity has, as promulgated in the bible. That wrestling match God had will inspire more than just WWW’s The Rock. Don’t laugh, folks. The OT did mention that He came down, wrestled with Jacob and lost too. What, He couldn’t un-grip Jacob’s tiger-lock? And at the incident of that Canaa wedding, this God has a Son who tempelak his mum, the Mother of God, by saying “Woman! What have I to do with thee?”. Ish. Kalau my kid tempelak me like that I sure would have him tempeleng-ed. Ah, some divine family indeed.

In fact it is for THIS despicable nonconformity alone must the muslims, the malays in this country defend the sanctity and the purity of the name Allah that, if fell unto these biblical thumpers, can be sooooo much downgraded, so much disrespect, so much blasphemous and sooo much … ungodly that anyone reading it would lose total respect, admiration, adoration to this so sacred a divine concept! I am just afraid that no sooner than this downgrading of the divinity of Allah is done by mere translation by these bible preachers than Kiai Arshad Sarip of Ulu Bendul come out of retirement or Pak Aji Bahari from Bongek, Rembau takes his time out from herding his water buffaloes to chase these blasphemers away.

Now to be fair to our friend Ritchie Kitchie here, let’s tolak ansur okay. He wants to put the name Allah in the bible. Tell you what. I will help pulas the arms of our pak-pak lebai in JAKIM and let you do just that, Richard, provided the following declaration is written in front of each and every copy of the bible:-

“Be it known here that the Allah mentioned in this here Bible is the same Allah as the one found in the Quran, and not a different Allah. And because of this, it goes without saying that whatever that Allah says in the Quran is True, especially in regards to Christianity, Jesus Christ and Mary without any false interpretations. It also follows that the Quranic verses (5.116), (61.6), (4.157), (4.171-173), (19.88-19.93) are true without the slightest doubt”

I have a twice-removed cousin who has a printing company doing Raya cards and Lumba kuda calenders, be happy to reprint all your bibles and include those statements for peanuts, if all goes well.

Apocryphalist.

Anonymous said...

this is in reply to Richard Cranium who said, "...You are absolutely right that a common language is the most important unifying factor.

So, pray tell, can I call my God 'Allah' in my Bible? Or will you tell me that some words used by Malays are only for the use of [Muslim] Malays?...
"

so, pray tell, is your Bible not good enough for you that you see the need to change its content?

but, then again, why not,... go right ahead and change whatever suits you... after all almost everybody has had that pleasure!

so, what version is your Bible?

is it the Greek Septuagint? the Aramaic Peshitta? the English King James?

now, a question for you... who is the author of your Bible?

surely, it cannot be God Almighty... because if it were, then, all the numerous versions and translations could only exist if the translators were the Son and the Holy Ghost!

now, are you absolutely sure that you agree that the most important unifying factor is a common language?

if you still maintain your stance... then you cannot be a Christian.

if I were the Pope... I'd excommunicate you!

so, if you can't even reconcile your personal belief with that of your faith... is there a need for anyone to take you seriously?

it's high time you start a rethink about your current faith.

theBOLDanon

Anonymous said...

Betul. Setuju 101%.
(English: Spot on!)

Anonymous said...

this in reply to soldadu who said... Can the blogger pin down the zeitgeist of the country today? The zeitgeist says there is a fissure in the rubric of this country. And where did that fissure come from? From too many of the people not believing that conformity is the way forward because they have seen with their own eyes, experienced with the very pores of their own skin...

what conformity?

do you actually know the meaning of that word?

has there ever been a conformity policy in place that we, Malaysians, are unaware of?

the Chinese and Tamils get to attend their schools and have road signs in their own languages... conformity?

and, since there has never been a conformity policy... then, how can you argue that it is not the way forward?

remember, be very careful of what you wish for... it must just come true!

this is in reply to Adidas Cat, who said..."And I would like to side-step from that a little bit and if possible get you to comment on the definition of being 'Malay'. Currently some people (mainly politicians from my observation) claim that there is 3 defining criteria, language: Malay, culture: Malay and religion: Islam while others (including academicians, again based on my personal observation) say that religion does not fit into that equation."

hey, Cat... have you ever heard of a thing called a Constitution?

yes... and Malaysia has one too... Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia

after you've finished reading it... go share your new found knowledge with all the other Malaysian idiots who seemed to have been falling over themselves arguing who should be called a Malay.

now that we now who the Malays are... but, who are the Chinese?

the problem with the Chinese is that they are very insecure... maybe Sigmund Freud was right after all... hey, with such small dicks, they are bound to feel insecure!

did you know that the Chinese are actually Mongols?

so are the Japanese and Koreans... but these people don't get along with each other, do they?

sworn enemies!

go here if you don't believe me.

the insecurity of the Malaysian-Chinese is further compounded by the fact that the Chinese-Chinese (funny term this!) refer to them as Timothy Wong.

ironic, isn't it?

despised and rejected by your own kind... no wonder you cause mayhem where ever go... must be in your blood, huh?

I wonder what a Chinese psychiatrist has to say about this!

but, then again, maybe that's how you got Taiwan, Macau and Singapore... go read up on history and you'll know what I mean... although you did try it in Malaysia years ago... but it back-fired.

so, up to your old tricks again?

not this time Timothy Wong... people wised up to your antics!

Anonymous said...

did you know that the Hollywood movie "Gone in 60 seconds" was screened in China and Hong Kong as "Gone in 4 seconds?"

now, we know what caused this!

theBOLDanon

Anonymous said...

I see. Some commenters here are giving excuses, excuses and more excuses for not supporting Bahasa Malaysia. STUPID excuses!!!

Pink Shades

Anonymous said...

i have to say this piece is nothing but an emotional frustration, most likely developed after a heated argument with the writer's spouse.

to start of an argument or point of discourse with 'locale hegemony aka klantan prowess' is a bit off.

the rest, i believe, sounded more like a child wanting to prove something to the parents after a told-off session with a cane stick.

you might want to edit this 100-para argument and make sure this is not going to be another drama fix like some of malay bloggers.

please, if i want to watch drama i'll just watch the news or the soap.

safe, writer!

*bukan org kelantan

Anonymous said...

God bless Malaysia.

Anonymous said...

Dear Demi Negara,

I dok kat perth ni dah 5 tahun takdak apa-apa pelat pun.

Anyway, that's a small matter. Sometimes these people can't help it if they are surrounded 24/7 with aussies and automatically the phony accent comes out. Tapi takpa lah..biaq kat depa.

I just want to say that i have spent a lot of my time reading your older posts as well as the other comments by your fellow commentators. Thank you ALL for sharing. You guys are just great lah!

And also dear Kijangmas, THANK YOU for replying to the comments. You made us all feel welcome and appreciated. I do realise it takes alot of your time to reply. And i'm sure they'll be an influx of comments after Rocky Bru's link.

In regards to your reply, it tickles my heart to read about your son's on/off button with language. I have a daughter and my other half is of a different nationality. I wonder if she too will have this on/off language button. She's still an infant and i've promised my self to speak bahasa melayu to her as much as possible. I really don't want her to be left out. Tapi nervous jugak sebab Mak dia pun tak selalu cakap Melayu!

Your late father seemed like a wonderful father. Base on the stories you've mentioned, he brought you up very well. I'm surprised to know that both our fathers were in Lincoln's Inn during the late 1950s. My father was brought up with an english speaking environment and i guess that's why he spoke more english to us than malay.

I shall take leave now. Looking forward to read other comments by the fan club and also your future postings. Well done again!

ooooooooo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
KijangMas said...

XX (November 9, 2008 5:35 PM) said:-
"… you elaborated on Hindraf, using the word 'they', particularly suggesting that the Punjabi's are on the streets with the Tamils on Hindraf. You couldn't be more wrong. The Punjabi's and Sikhs are not involved in any way with Hindraf. It is basically politically incorrect for a Sikh to associate himself with a group such as Hindraf … The World Sikh Organization based in Washington D.C. has released a statement sometime last year advising Malaysian Sikhs to stay clear of Hindraf. The only Sikhs you do see in Malaysia championing Hindraf is Karpal Singh and his family. Do I need to elaborate on a snake like him? Lolz"

Noted sir.

Yes, the Punjabis and Sikhs obviously are not involved with the Hindraf circus. Yes, the sentence construction – a variation of the Dangling Participle -- inferred Punjabi/Sikh involvement. You guys are not involved.

I’ve always admired the Punjabi/Sikh community of Malaysia. Very small in numbers, but relatively well off and self-sufficient without upsetting the social dinner table, except for a couple of course. And I find most Punjabis/Sikhs converse very well in Bahasa Malaysia – perhaps due to elocution compatibility from a common Sanskrit root.

--------

TONGKANG said:-
“Want to test why I said ...Tak ader kuli dari Indonesia, Mynmar, Vietnam, patah tangan APEK. Guna kuli illegal bercambah. Tokey duk kat kaunter cashier saja … LANCAR OPERASI BESAR2AN SELAMA 3BULAN seluruh negara DI PASAR PASAR BORONG DULU … You will be left with mainly peniaga2 LAJIN Melayu yang menjual petai, ikan keli, ikan telapia, patin, kangkung, ulam2, kelapa - cukup sekadar dapat masak asam tumis sambal belacan dan kari ikan keli ... Guarantee LUMPUH … From here, relax kejap and we with the 2nd OPERASI Kebun Ladang Sayur pula.. Kecut semua tanaman, tak terjaga..”

Betul Tongkang.

“Kehebatan” si Apek berniaga sebenarnya dongeng dan mitos sahaja.

Sejumlah besar apa yang di katakan “untung” adalah sebenarnya terhasil dari penyelewengan etika perniagaan yang sudah menjadi budaya akar umbi si Apek-Apek ini. Ini termasuk buat kilang/kedai haram di setiap pelusuk bumi kita; mencampur hadok barang berbagai kualiti, termasuklah mencampuri segala jenis ramuan toksik dalam makanan yang kita makan jadi darah daging; membuang sisa-sisa di merata tempat; curi air; curi elektrik; dan seperti Tongkang huraikan, menjadi punca kebanjiran PATI di negara kita. Mereka guna PATI untuk jadi kuli mereka; untuk jadi gundik mereka; untuk jadi pelacur mereka; untuk jadi samseng mereka; untuk buat segala macam kerja kotor untuk mereka.

Jadi, apakah sebenarnya si Apek-Apek dan kerabat mereka buat?

Ya, seperti Tongkang kata, duduk kat kaunter jadi cashier, terpaku tengok Wah Lai Toi, main nombor ekor dan merancang skim penipuan seterusnya dengan rangkaian Apek-Apek se-Malaya. Mana ada produktiviti? Mana ada dayasaing berlandaskan moral dan etika perniagaan? Mana ada ciri-ciri keusahawanan yang tulin? Mana ada falsafah perniagaan yang boleh di gunapakai?

Ketangkasan tahap keusahawanan si Apek ni adalah semata-mata dongeng dan mitos sahaja. Jika kita kupas dan ceraikan segala bentuk penipuan dan penyelewengan dari operasi mereka, si Apek-Apek ini akan lingkup dlm sekelip mata sahaja.

-----------

Shad said:-
“Are you sure that this is the solution? Do away with vernacular school, and then make everyone speak bahasa malaysia and malaysia on the road to assimilation? Is it that simple?”

I don’t quite understand the angle and trajectory of your query?

Why are you opposing a proposition that will ultimately unite the various ethnics and suku kaums of this country into some semblance of commonality?

Why are you desperately sabotaging this path towards an Anak Malaysia of Satu Bangsa and Satu Bahasa with other uncorrelated issues and grievances? If anything, the transformation of the non-Malays into an Anak Malaysia of Satu Bangsa and Satu Bahasa should be wholeheartedly celebrated as this would be the factor that would strengthen your case for meritocracy and what not. You can then say with gusto, “tengok ni si Melayu sekelian, kami sekarang fasih berbahasa Malaysia dan peka kepada budaya Melayu, kami sekarang tuntut hak sama rata sebagai Anak Malaysia yang sudah Satu Bangsa dan Satu Bahasa dengan orang Melayu.”

That should be your attitude. This would be a Golden Opportunity for the non-Malays to prove to the world that there is no more excuse for a “non-level playing field” as now all the players are of the same mold, as undifferentiated, fungible beings in the population pool.

BUT instead, you coil back to your old cesspool of self-pity and a pathetic, debilitating victim’s mentality that you cling on to rationalise your inexplicable refusal to seek commonalities with the Malay Mainstream of Malaysian society.

Weird indeed.

Shad said:-
“U always use the example of USA or Ozland. Well, those countries have a level playing field in education. Best results makes the grade. Malays will accept that? Will malays accept that you will have to compete with non malays for a place in UM or UKM etc?”

This is what happens when people utter claims based on hearsay and inferences corrupted by prejudicial perceptions. The non-Malays are especially prone to embracing such perceived “authoritative” references that are nothing more than distorted Urban Legends.

Listen, there is no such thing as a straightforward “level playing field” and “best results make the grade” fantasyland anywhere on earth! Read my lips: Tidak Ada. Every responsible government in this world indulges in some form of Social Engineering in their quest to synthesize social balance and enhance cohesion in their respective societies.

Take the 10-campus University of California system as an example. And I can speak with supreme authority here. If the admission criteria is based solely on the SAT scores of freshmen applicants, then at least 80% of the annual intakes would be Asian Americans and F-1 foreign student visa holders. The American version of our “Bumiputras” – the Whites, Blacks, Chicanos and the Native Americans – would by and large be blown off the field by the Asian Americans and foreign students. Do you think policymakers of the great state of California would just throw their arms in the air and said “sorry Jake and Tyrone and José, you were beaten fair and square by these Asians. Tough luck.” And do you think California would allow its university campuses to be dominated by these Asians while their “Bumiputras” languish in some junior college in the boondocks? Think again.
So what actually happens?

Well, the admission criteria are tweaked to include subjective elements independent of pure test scores, things like high school sports and extracurricular activities (which the American “Bumiputras” excel and the Asian Americans are lousy at); subjective evaluation of essays; preference given to “in state” applicants and children of alumni (which again work against the newly arrived Asian Americans and, of course, the foreign applicants); and on top of these soft back door approach, a general quota by legislation for Africa Americans, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders (Hawaiians, Samoans, Palauans, Aleuts, etc.).

By the time the dust settles, Asian Americans would typically make up 20% of the student body, with another 10% for foreign F-1 visa holders. The remaining 70% consists of the American “Bumiputras.” So what “level playing field” and “best results make the grade” fantasy again?

And this is just the undergraduate intake. Now let’s explore the American graduate schools. How do you think Harvard screens its incoming MBA class? Based entirely on GPA and GMAT scores? If that’s the case, 99% would be Asian Americans and foreigners. Do you think Harvard wants to be an Asian ghetto? Do you think their massive endowments came with no strings attached as to content and diversity of student body and academic focus areas?

How could KijangMas know all these? Roll back to Spring 1986 and California-based KijangMas got a thick envelope sent by the MBA Admissions Office of Harvard Business School. There is of course a prequalification formula: [(CGPA x 200) + GMAT Score]. Based on this math, KijangMas got into the top quintile (top 20%) of the thousands of applicants from the whole world. Then what? Harvard sent a 200 item questionnaire infested with every conceivable spin and landmines to ensure a predominantly WASP American incoming class. If I recall, the questions include personal and family contribution to American nationbuilding, with high scores given to demonstrable contribution in the American endeavour to “save the free world” (WW1, WW2, Vietnam, etc.); role and contribution to the local community in America; and three voluminous essays of life experiences that inevitably tie back to some American past life.

Again, by the time the dust settles, the incoming 800 member MBA class is inevitably dominated by White American Males, many with relatively average qualifications. A prime example? George Dubya Bush! Yes, the embodiment of nincompoopism is a Harvard MBA! And I can bet my vast trove of priceless keris family heirlooms that George Dubya’s CGPA+GMAT scores would be demolished by KijangMas’ numbers.

So mana ada “level playing field” and “best results make the grade” mantra here?

BTW, KijangMas didn’t bother returning the Harvard questionnaire as most of the answers would have been meaningless in the American context. Well, it was a blessing in disguise as KijangMas became the first Malaysian (not Melayu, but Malaysian) to be accepted by an MBA international finance program then ranked No.1 in the U.S. And this great U also has the best damned (American) football team in the NCAA, and that’s a very big deal if you’ve ever studied in that country.

Oh yes, I’ve not even begin talking about ethnic-skewed grading decisions of American professors, where the bright but speech-challenged ethnic-Chinese student would be marked down for lack of class participation and lack of contribution in group projects and ended up in the mediocre middle of the pack although he aced all the exams.

So again, what “level playing field” and “best results make the grade” fantasy in America was this Shad dreamin’ here?

-----------

Malaysian Tigress said:-
“I wish people like Demi Negara, JMD,Acrowatzhisnameitstoolongformeto spell, would shed their anonymity and come out into the open. Brave enough, proud enough to reveal that their strong beliefs have A FACE.”

Maybe they are already “in the open” right before your beady eyes in daily newscasts, in the mainstream papers, in Amway pep rallies, in assorted Bikin-Wang-Cara-Orang-Malas seminars in your part of town?

How come Bung “Bigfoot” Mokhtar Raden goes missing in parliament everytime KijangMas updates his posts and comments? Is he the “Clark Kent”? So who’s Lois Lane? Fong Poh Kuan of Batu Gajah?

Anonymous said...

Msian in Perth, 1,000 ex-Malaysian Chinese in your suburb alone? Wow. I hear our beloved PM also going to migrate to Perth soon. Must be a wonderful place. Can you advise me how I can also migrate?

Saya... said...

OMG,

First..I don't have beady eyes...keturunan saya have lovely Aishwaryalike eyes ok?

2: Bung Mukhtar? Allah help us! You just bust my bubble...ceh! Serious ka?

Number 3...AcroApaNamaSusahBetuiNak Eja and BoldAnon...well said!!!

They want to use Allah only for ulterior motives. I have friends in a dakwah group and have heard all the tricks used by the "Allah in the bible" proponents.

Saja nak menyesatkan dan mengelirukan...funny ain't it? They don't believe in Allah, except when it suits them? Hmmmm.....

BTW "bikin-wang-cara-org-malas" people are brilliant eh? Too bad I'm more malas than that...but I'm contented and love my hammock...

KijangMas said...

Tam Dalyell said:-
“… these kinds of reactions makes the commentary sections a more entertaining read as KijangMas applies his typical blow for blow shots at commendable literrary nimbleness ... as if implying a "don't throw stone at a man with a machine gun" welcome home door mat.”

Yup, with his trusted Glock 22 .40 Widowmaker, KijangMas first aim at the toes, then the soles, than the kneecaps, than the petrified crown jewels ……. and yet another eunuch is spawned from this cesspool of unrepentant toxic rabid racists.

----------------

Lent said:-
“So easy ? Do away with vernacular school and let the next generation speak bahasa malaysia and everything will be ok? not so easy.”

Again, just like “Shad,” why are you concluding that the creation of a race of Anak Bangsa Malaysia berbahasa Malaysia yang di bentuk dalam Arca Budaya Melayu will end ALL ills and maladies of this country? Why do people like you keep on jumping to this conclusion …… and then use this very simplistic supposition that YOU yourselves created as a prop to support your opposition to the creation of the Anak Bangsa Malaysia?

How can you progress in life beyond your tempurungs if you keep on harping on issues that you concoct yourselves and proclaimed cannot be solved?

Sorry, but what do you actually have in your cranium? Jello? Instant pudding? Tau Foo Fah?


Lent added:-
“school does not end with primary & secondary. education goes beyond the 11 years we study for our SPM. What happens after that?”

Why you ask me? You go solve your kids’ own sekolah issues lah? Do your own work for a change. Wow, you want to tie up other issues with this Anak Bangsa Malaysia thingy? Why don’t you also ask me how this Anak Bangsa Malaysia is going to help pay your hutang to the Ah Longs? Or to help you lose 20 kilos?

What’s wrong with these people?

Lent further added:-
“You keep saying "masuk melayu" , "arca melayu" ... but you have not defined what "melayu " is. if you look around, it seems even the malays dont know what melayu is. you see malays at 2 conflicting ends of the spectrum. What is the general most common factor that shapes the majority of malays then? One side you have the ulama and pak haji types, and on the other u have cheek kissing AFUNDI types.”

So what’s wrong with a social spectrum encompassing the “ulama and pak haji types” and the “cheek kissing AFUNDI types.” Why do YOU have a problem with either or both of these segments? Just because YOU look down on either of them, we as a nation cannot strive to have our Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one voice? Lu sapa? Permaisuri dari mana punya kayangan?

Look, every society on earth will have its range of characters. Let’s take the ethnic-Chinese group in Malaysia. Based on your logic, what is a “Cina Malaysia”? Can you define them as easily as you can define a “Melayu”? What do Prof. Khoo Kay Kim and Loh Gwo Burne have in common beyond eating with chopsticks and celebrating CNY? What about the generic “Indian”? Do Punjabi Sikhs, Malayalees, “Ceylonese,” Parsees, Telugus and Bengalis fit into this all-purpose pool? And ethnic-Punjabi Muslim Malaysian Tigress fits where?

I suggest you get out of your self-imposed hole of doubts and pessimism and smell the fresh air of a new Malaysia descending on this blessed Tanah Air. I sense a sort of wretched existence emanating from your writing. Too bad. Don’t ruin your life with this petty nit pickin’ over nothin’. Be a part of this social revolution.


-----------


Anonymous (November 8, 2008 8:30 PM) said:-
“A very good article indeed. Wonder why you did not use Bahasa Malaysia to write the article considering you are a Malaysian and you are lobbying for the language to be used as the uniting language.”

Duhh! What is this? All fools day?

Of course lah I write in English because I want YOU and YOUR KINDS to be able to read the article and understand the message. This English posting is actually meant for YOUR KIND. Do missionaries bring English bibles to “save” the pagan natives of this world? No. They will take the trouble to translate the gospel to the native languages. So I have no choice but to write my article in a language comprehensible to “pagans” like you.

Let me ask you. If this article had been in Bahasa Malaysia, would YOU have taken the trouble to actually read it and then slither here to post a comment?

Let me ask you another question. Do you know why the "Jangan Meludah" and "Jangan Buang Sampah" notice boards come in smallish Bahasa Malaysia and huge Chinese characters? Who do you think is the real target audience? The Pak Hajis? The cheek kissing AFUNDI types? How about the Apeks? Yup, Apeks.

Anonymous added:-
“Yes, having one language is good but that does not mean that people of other race should not be speaking their own language. Language is like art. People should be free to learn and speak in any language they wish to, as long as they accept the national language as the common language in your case Bahasa Malaysia.”

So you have NOT actually understood the article then? You want a Mandarin translation? Go reread and come back. Show us where it is written that you cannot speak your own language and dialects. In fact, I specifically mentioned that you can do that BUT in the confines of your own community and not as a national affair on par with Bahasa Malaysia.

Let me also ask you, do YOU accept Bahasa Malaysia as the common language? I want you to reply in Bahasa Malaysia.

Anonymous further said:-
“In Australia … There is freedom of speech, freedom to speak your own language with English being the national language and freedom to observe etnic culture. When such freedom is given, naturally people assimilate as there's no fear of losing their identity.”

So you got no cultural and linguistic freedom in Malaysia?

Do you have noisy Chinese music in your Aussie hypermarkets? How about little red tokongs under Aussie acacias at a street corner or two? And show us a specific, demonstrable instant where your right to speak in and be Chinese in Malaysia is lesser than in Australia?

Folks, look at this guy here. He reflects his kind. No matter how much hak and kebebasan bahasa dan budaya we Tuan Tanahs give them, they still say tak cukup. Apa yang dah dapat, mereka tak terima kasih. Tapi tamak, mau lebih lagi. Rakyat macam ini kah yang kita mahu kongsi hidup di Bumi bertuah datuk nenek kita, seia, sehati, sejiwa? Fikirkan baik-baik.

His parting shot:-
“Malaysia is the only country that I know of that has racist policies therefore in my opinion deserves what it gets.”

Yes. We deserve to live in peace without your kinds. Good riddance and don’t come back. Go speak as much Mandarin as you want and spit and litter Ozland to your heart’s content.

Kengkawan sekelian, aku betul-betul kesian kat Mat Salleh Aussie. Mereka mungkin tak tau apa akan berlaku ke Negara mereka satu generasi lagi bila makhluk mcm si Anonymous nih beranak pinak dan mula tunjuk belang ke-Apek-an mereka di sana. Hancosss Australia!!!


----------------


Kamal Kemaman said:-

“We dont know who you are but we now know what you are. It is all about politics ya? To vote against UMNO means someone is anti malay? No wonder you hentam DAP, LKS, Jeffooi, teresa kok..nasib baik kamu tak hentam tok guru yg dikasihi.. or u will face the wrath from people like me ... You said so; melayu yang tak undi UMNO ni pengkhianat bangsa? Siapa pengkhianat? Berani kau panggil aku pengkhianat?”


Ehh, dari lubang cacing mana pulak si Doraemon sumbang nih menjelma? Sampai terbahak-bahak mempertahankan DAP, Kit Siang, Jeff Ooi dan Teresa Kock!

Wow, with Melayus like these, who needs the Bukan Melayus untuk memporak perandakan Tanah Air tercinta kita?

Kamal … oh … Kamal. Dengarrr baik-baik Abé mung nok ghoyak: -

Mung jangan nak senang-senang selitkan abang mung nih dalam mana-mana puak atau gerompolan politik Malaya. Aku dah cakap banyak kali, parti politik aku ialah Parti Kami Anak Bangsa Malaysia di Bawah Arca Melayu. Kalau UMNO dapat sokong pendirian ini, bagus. Kalau PAS dapat sokong pendirian ini, lagi bagus. Kalau PKR dapat sokong pendirian ini, terpesonalah bagus. DAN kalau DAP dapat sokong pendirian ini, teristimewalah bagusnya.

Jadi mung hok mano satu?

Mung hok dok Kemamang nih macang mana? Mung dok sokong si Teresa Kock ni apakabenda? Ado jugok manusio macang nih di Teganung ki-te.

Oh lagi satu. Engkau jangan sekali-kali mempermainkan nama Tok Guru negeri Darul Naim ku yang amat aku kasihi tak berbelah bagi. Ingat, jangan engkau tergamak nak mencemari nama Tok Guru pemimpin tersohor aku dalam kancah politik murahan engkau nih. Bahkan, Tok Guru baru saja singgah rumah keluarga aku di Kota Bharu, bersembang lama tentang hal ehwal semasa.

Hero kampong tajaan DAP macam engkau nih tak ada tempat dalam masyarakat Bangsa Malaysia akan datang. Pengkhianat Bangsa yang tak bermaruah!

-----------

WWC said:-
“The world facing bleak economic meltdown and this ultra racist has nothing more than to bitch about road signs. Wake up because soon your fellow malays that you love and fight for may be facing bigger problems such as unemplyment, spiralling inflation, increase crime rate and many other economic problems. Put down the Hai, Mastika and switch off the akademi fantasia and start to worry about the real issues you and your malaysians are about to face. quit bitching about road signs and start thinking about how to survive the upcoming onslaught of economic despair. twat.”


Yeah, the world is facing bleak economic meltdown and this anti-Malay Rabid Racist has nothing more to do than to change perfectly fine road signs. Wake up because soon your fellow Chinamen that you love and fight for may be facing bigger problems such as business failures, no more illegal workers, tougher govt. regulations, spiraling inflation, increase in crime rate and many other economic problems. Put down the China Press, Sin Chew Jit Poh and switch off the Wah Lai Toi and start to worry about the real issues you and your fellow Malaysians are about to face. quit bitching about the need for multilingual road signs and start thinking about how to survive the upcoming onslaught of economic despair. Double twat!

------------

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 4:04 PM) said:-
“Everything that you have said is voided in so many ways by the very fact that you said in all in English. Do you not realise the irony in the fact that as more people read, understand and agree with your views, they are doing so by virtue of their grasp of the English language. That you have chosen to communicate using English is also ironic in the context of this post … Whether consciously or unconsciously, this fact alone portrays the subpar usage, effectiveness and preference of BM as a language... especially when you are trying to communicate what is essentially an important issue, which in this case happens to be the use of the language itself.”

Yup, yet another logic twister. Must be the rainy season. They usually appear with the belalangs and katak purus after the rains.

Listen up you hypocrite:-
Kalau gua tulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia, lu boleh paham ka? Lu mau baca ka? Bila kali terakhir lu ada baca akhbar Melayu? Tengok berita utama dalam Bahasa Malaysia? Tonton itu filem Melayu? Atau cakap Melayu sama lu punya anak bini atau gundik? Lu piligi itu Ka-la-O-ke lu ada nyanyi itu lagu Malayu ka? Apasal gua tengok lu selalu nyanyi itu lagu Taiwan sama Hong Kong sama sama itu pelempuan lambut kalat China mali? Sekalang lu mau Tanya gua balik apasai gua tulis dalam itu basa Inggelis ah?

For all boogeymen like this and the other Anonymous, KijangMas will be posting an all-Bahasa Malaysia article soon and KijangMas will only publish comments written in Bahasa Malaysia. Then we’ll see whether you can actually COMMUNICATE INTELLIGENTLY using the national language of Malaysia. Stay tuned.

----------

Adidas Cat said:-

“Now one problem that I see is that in order to 'Masuk Melayu', one will have to 'Masuk Islam' as well and freedom of religion is something that I personally value very much, as much the Bangsa Malaysia concept itself. Now how do you suggest that we remedy this?”

Adidas Cat, thanks for visiting and, unlike many other non-Malays here, you are able to intelligently and clearly articulate your questions.

In my view, to Masuk Melayu in the context of forging an Anak Bangsa Malaysia is to assume linguistic and cultural conformity with the Orang Melayu. “Melayu” here is the generic Nusantara pribumi connotation, and NOT the Melayu of the Malaysian Constitution where being of Muslim faith is one of the defining specificities of an Orang Melayu. I envision the ethnic-Chinese and Indians to evolve into the mold of the non-Muslim Borneo Bumiputras. In fact, in Sabah, they could even be UMNO members. So much for rules ah?

The Bangsa Malaysia of Satu Bangsa Satu Bahasa should later evolve into a new “racial” paradigm of:-

Bangsa Malaysia beragama Islam
Bangsa Malaysia beragama Hindu
Bangsa Malaysia beragama Buddha
Bangsa Malaysia beragama Kristian

The specific religious practices and rituals of these groups would be the divergent, incremental traits in addition to the common, endemic lingua-cultural base of the Anak Bangsa Malaysia, i.e., Bahasa Malaysia as the first language and incorporating elements of Budaya and tatatertib Melayu in their daily life.

Of course, the road to this goal will be dotted by potholes and landmines and would require further exhaustive deliberations with various experts and stakeholders. For instance, would the government allow church sermons in Bahasa Malaysia (as in Indonesia and in Thai in Thailand)?


Adidas Cat said:-
“And I would like to side-step from that a little bit and if possible get you to comment on the definition of being 'Malay'. Currently some people (mainly politicians from my observation) claim that there is 3 defining criteria, language: Malay, culture: Malay and religion: Islam while others (including academicians, again based on my personal observation) say that religion does not fit into that equation.”

I believe my earlier reply substantially addressed this question.

Anyway, “Malay” in the Malaysian Constitution differs greatly from “Malay” in the anthropological standpoint and from the “Malay” in the ethno-geography standpoint and again from the “Malay” in the regional linguistic standpoint. Suffice to say that the “Malay” of the Malaysian Constitution will be a subset – albeit the primary group – of this Bangsa Malaysia race, bringing with them the language, budaya, and other traits beneficial and applicable to all.

I may post my thoughts on ‘what exactly is a Malay” one of these days. I already have the 20 page narrative in my mind but I’ve not been able to actually sit down and type it up for all to see.

Thanks again for contributing.

Saya... said...

BTW, when you mentioned your experience with those biased questionnaires, I am reminded of my MIS professor in Sacramento, California.

He decided one bright, sunny day, to give an "extra points" pop quiz which included mainly American Trivia and stuff particular to American culture.

I knew how to answer most of the stuff (blame it on American TV shows and a former jahiliyah leaning and fascination with all things American)...but I could see the other Asian students sitting back with blank looks on their faces, at a total loss.

So I went up to Dr. WhazHisNameIForgotAlready, Professor, "do you realise that there is a whole wide world beyond America and that these people have been brought up in different countries with their own particular cultures, history and influential figures ? Are you being fair asking these questions on this test which has nothing to do with the course? Maybe it would be more suitable in a course on American (Poop) Culture?"

And praise Allah (exclusive rights here) the light suddenly dawned on his pasty face and he was utterly shamed and chastened..."Oh my God, you are right, I didn't think of that"..."Ok guys, scrap that test!"

Aiyo..and these people are held as the beacons of democracy and hope and light for the world? They are like "katak bawah tempurung".

Anonymous said...

You did mention one characteristic of the Bangsa Malaysia is 'cultural assimilation' to be in tune with Malay culture. To what scope should this be done, in your opinion?

non-Malay public holidays and the freedom to celebrate them?

customs & rituals?

cuisine and costume?

etc.?


For info, when my multiracial friends & I meet up, the lingua-franca we use is English. Most of us were educated in SK schools, and only BM is used when people with low English proficiency is in our circle.

This also happens to be my observation when noticing other multiracial groups.

Saya... said...

"I’ve always admired the Punjabi/Sikh community of Malaysia. Very small in numbers, but relatively well off and self-sufficient without upsetting the social dinner table, except for a couple of course. And I find most Punjabis/Sikhs converse very well in Bahasa Malaysia – perhaps due to elocution compatibility from a common Sanskrit root."

Ahem...I prefer Indo-Aryan language family..lagi glamer...

Anonymous said...

KijangMas and Apocryphalist, I can never get enough of you guys! You got me hooked! Your replies leave me out of breath...... from laughing so hard! Your sharp wit and keen intellect is awesome. You two make a great team.

Apocryphalist, your reply to that Dick Head is deliciously wicked! I love, love, love it!

And KijangMas, may your energy, drive and fiery passion to run this blog never wane. You’re my hero!

On another note, I notice that a lot of commenters obviously did not bother to read your post and subsequent comments properly before jumping into the comments fray and asking things you’ve already explained over and over again.

May I suggest that for this particular topic, you turn it into a book in pdf file and make it available online for FREE? Extract all the common themes of the information that have been presented (from your post and subsequent replies to commenters), and rearrange them into a logical flow across the whole text (whilst maintaining your writing style of course!) And have your paragraphs
numbered so that they can be referred to easily. Handy when replying to ignorant commenters who blindly jump in to give their 2 sen.

Your messages are so profound and important that I feel it’s worth making the effort to turn it into a book. If not in hardcopy then a pdf version is good enough. I’m certain it will create a big impact on this generation and the ones to come.

Pink Shades

Anonymous said...

Adding to what Apocryphalist's and theBOLDanon's response to Richard Cranium. ...

who said ...

"So, pray tell, can I call my God 'Allah' in my Bible? Or will you tell me that some words used by Malays are only for the use of [Muslim] Malays?"

Dear RC, the tone of the second part of your question expresses hate for [Muslim] Malays. Your Bible teaches you that? Or may be you are conned by it to be hateful and be spiteful. But at best I think you are not a practicing Christian. I thought Prophet Isa (pbth) [Jesus to you] teaches love. We are deeply disappointed that a close Christian neighbour from PJ hates us.

As to the first part of your question ... Why are you such a selfish (before this hateful and spiteful) Christian to want to call God 'Allah' only in your personal Bible, to be read only by you, in only a small corner of the only house built in the only squater area left somewhere in east PJ, a small city of only one country in the whole wide world?

But we Muslims fervently wish all creatures created by Allah to call all of their gods "Allah" not only in their Bibles or books of religions, but first and formost to BELIEVE in their hearts and soul, in their life and death, from 'in time' to 'after time' and to embrace all as brothers under one kingdom of God whose name is Allah.

If your pourpose be honourable, not just to 'call' and to decieve why ask permission? This religion Islam is not mine or yours or his in the first place.

But in the light of this blog's scope of discussion, I think you are a cornered conman whose bluff has been called, and you are transparently seen as desperately trying to change the rule.

As such, you are not to be taken seriously, that you mean only to decieve, and that you just have to go get your self washed.

Anonymous said...

Apocryphalist,

With reference to yr reply to Dick Head ....I say, BRAVO....I love it ...I was in stitches ...can't help it ..YOU'RE too good for him. Way to go, man !

zazaland

KijangMas said...

Jibam (November 10, 2008 9:06 AM) said:-
“… Mungkin resam orang Melayu ni agak terlalu beralah (atau, mengikut spesifikasi saudara, orang-orang Melayu luar Kelantan).”

Jibam, perbezaan ketara antara Orang Kelantan dengan Orang Melayu wilayah-wilayah lain ialah sikap jatidiri yang jitu dan kemegahan unsur-unsur budaya kedaerahan yang amat terserlah. Ini mungkin kerana Orang Kelantan terpaksa bersatu dalam menghadapi serangan bertubi-tubi tentera Siam selama 600 tahun.

Orang Kelantan memang tidak beralah walau se-inci pun ke kaum lain. Sebaliknya, kami menbimbing kaum-kaum lain menjadi sebahagian dari masyarakat Kelantan kami, hingga ketahap di mana kaum Cina Kelantan di serapkan ke dalam budaya, bahasa dan masyarakat Kelantan. Bahkan, kaum Cina dari Perak dan Pulau Pinang yg datang berniaga di Kelantan juga dgn mudah di serapkan kedalam arca Orang Kelantan, termasuk bahasa dan tatatertib dan sopan santun yg dpt di terima oleh Orang Melayu Islam.

-------------

SCHOOL said:-
“See how well they conceal their identities to pass themselves as MALAYSIANS!!”

Yes, I’ve sensed a lot of these phony Malaysians in our midst -- guess imported and "sponsored" by who? That’s why the immigration officials would only speak Bahasa Malaysia to incoming/outgoing Malaysian passport holders who somehow do not quite exhibit the “Malaysian shuffle” in their body language and mannerisms.

I saw a commotion at KLIA two yrs ago when three “lambut kalat” Ah Mois with brand new red Malaysian passports noisily resisted detention when it was revealed they could not utter even a single word of Bahasa Malaysia to the immigration officers. I later was told that their Ah Beng “ibu ayam” ran off and left the “Malaysia Celup” women marooned at the terminal. Sickening scene.

---------

justmy2SEN said:-..
“… luahkan apa yg tak pernah diluah oleh orang Melayu yang selama ini dah naik jelak dan muak dengan mereka yang cuma mahukan HAK tapi tidak melihat samada mereka LAYAK UNTUK HAK TERSEBUT...”

Ya, orang Melayu sekarang sudah sedar tentang apa yg telah dan yg akan berlaku ke atas Tanah Air tercinta kita ini. Negara kita akan menempuhi berbagai perubahan sosial dan politik dlm 3-4 tahun datang kerana orang Melayu skrng sudah bangkit dari kelenaan tidur yg setakat ini telah memberi ruang kpd berbagai makhluk-makhluk anti-nasional bermaharalela di bumi kita sendiri.

-------------------

Tam Dalyell said:-
“Tiba-tiba muncul (ini bukan lagi program reality), orang kata dari silsilah darah putih Bumi Patani, berhubungkait dengan istana-istana Kelantan dan Pahang, Sri Rama mencemar duli. Dia membawa cetusan ubat pahit. Cetusan yang sebegini menyeluruh kesannya terhadap Negara tercinta ini belum pernah timbul dalam sejarah Negara Malaysia sejak merdeka.”

Ya memanda. Beta kini menjelma untuk menebus maruah bangsa beta yang kini di hina dan di caci oleh puak-puak penderhaka yang tidak tahu berterimakasih, tidak mengenang budi dan tidak faham tertib dan tatasusila budaya rakyat beta di Bumi keramat Tanah Melayu. Arakian maka beta menyahut panggilan rakyat beta untuk menepis segala bentuk serangan yang di cetuskan oleh puak-puak ini yang sedihnya di bantu oleh pengkhianat bangsa yang akan di adili oleh kaum mereka sendiri bila tiba masanya.

Sri Rama menjemput rakyat sekelian mengenang kembali keagungan dan kejaguhan keturunan beta dan pahlawan Melayu di masa silam yang telah berjaya membinasakan ketumbukan tentera Siam Ayutthaya di bumi Negara Melayu Patani Darussalam walaupun bala tentera Ayutthaya melebihi jumlah perwira dan pendekar Melayu Patani dengan nisbah 5 lawan 1. Gajah berperisai dan tentera berkuda Ayutthaya semua nya binasa selepas merasai azab pedih dan peritnya keris dan lembing dan tombak yang beterbangan dari kubu-kubu kebal pahlawan Patani dan juga bedilan meriam-meriam yg paling besar pernah di bina oleh mana-mana negara di Nusantara – Sri Patani, Sri Negara dan Mahalela.

Rakyat beta harus kembali kepada semangat juang kita di zaman silam. Pantang undur. Jangan beri ruang. Pantang mengalah. Demi Negara beta, Demi Rakyat beta, Demi Agama beta, Demi Bahasa dan Budaya beta.

Petikkan dari Hikayat Patani (c.1635-1730) kisah keturunan Beta dalam Perang Patani-Siam 1634:-

Maka Bercau (Phrachao, Maharaja Ayutthaya) pun memberi titah kepada bakelang (Phraklang, Menteri Luar Ayutthaya) suruh berlengkap rakyat dan senjata dan Apya Opra (Panglima Perang Ayutthaya) dan segala akun awamin mengantarkan Apya Deca (Putra Raja Melayu Ligor) ke Patani. Dan suatu cetera rakyat Siam itu seketi banyaknya dan suatu kaul pula delapan laksa… Maka Temenggong Sri Paduka Tuan (Panglima Perang Patani) pun naik gajah yang bernama Jarum Perak itu pergi ke Kelampang; disuruhnya angkat segala pagar … ada sepuluh lapis, dan bedil besar-besar pun terlalu banyak di aturnya hingga sedepa juga jarangnya. Arakian maka segala rakyat Siam pun datanglah hendak menyerang … ada yang sudah turun setengah mengarung parit Kelampang itu, maka dibedil oleh orang Patani, terlalu banyak mati segala rakyat Siam itu, tiada dapat di kira-kira lagi matinya dan beberapa di halau oleh segala pahlawan Siam itu pun tiada dapat juga segala rakyatnya itu hendak menyeberang. Hatta maka segala Siam itu pun undur ke padang berhimpun … Arakian maka segala menteri hulubalang dan rakyat Patani pun keluarlah perang dengan segala Siam itu. Dengan tolong Allah Taala perang segala Siam itu pun tiadalah menang lagi, sangat kelaparannya. Hatta dengan demikian tujuh hari juga Apya Deca duduk di Patani itu, maka segala hulubalang Siam pun kembalilah dengan sebab kelaparan segala rakyatnya itu.
(folio 54-57).

--------------

Balan said:-
“Bahasa Malaysia perlu dihormati dan diberi pengiktirafan sepenuh hati oleh semua kaum jike kaum kaum yang ada dinegara ini menganggap dirinya sebagai warganegara Malaysia yang taat dan setia.”

Balan, thanks for sharing your experience. Brother, you are a true blue Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang sejati.

KijangMas said...

Unker Yew said:-
“Hey KM, one quick question; how come you know all (& so much of) these intimate 'secrets' of these chinamen, even their lingo? Are you sure you are not one of them?”

Unker Yew, that’s certainly within the realms of possibilities. KijangMas could well be a bored Ah Pek lazing away the afternoon at PJ New Town’s Mak Yee restaurant, chuckling at the amusing replies between slurps of slimy lo mein.

Or he could, indeed, be some obscure 70-yr old German professor of ethno-cultural anthropology at the Rajaratnam School of Int.’l Studies who has spent the past 25 yrs immersed in Malaysian ethno-socio-political affairs and are now prodding people like yourself to “come out” and say what’s really in their minds, and all these “primary data” would be analysed in an epic 3-volume mother of all Ph.D. dissertations entitled: “Aliens in Our Midst: The Derailment of Bangsa Malaysia” after which, with Random House paperback contract in hand, this Mad Prof would sail off into the sunset to France to grow Chardonnay grapes and hunt for truffles with his long lost soulmate.

Unker Yew said:-
"I lied, here's another question; How come some malays nowadays treat us non-malays like we are 'tak halal' or like lepers? Talking about olden days football, we use to share drinks in one same pail, 4 cups only but no problem, even sharing a joint together.Nowadays they don't 'share' anymore, I'm puzzled?? Can you enlighten me?"

This started when the Chinese began to speak Mandarin en masse and acquire the alien body language and mannerisms of the “Hong Kong Bus Uncle” YouTube video. The guys who shared the pail of muddy sugar water with the Malays – people like you -- were the last of the Malayanised Chinamen, unable to read or write in Chinese and immersed in the Malay social-cultural milieu, who shared the same Malay-Tamil-Cantonese swear words and caused mischief together with their Malay neighbours. Unker Yew, I have this feeling that you as a child are the curi the neighbour’s mango type – playful, cheeky but hati baik and respectful of his Malay friends in his kampong. Oh ya, sampai sudah pandai flirt with a Melayu lass, betul ka?


Unker added:-
"BTW, sorry to say, I don't like ppl that carry guns. Having said that, I tot a man of your stature would be carrying a Walther PPK or a Magnum."

No. I don’t think I want to discuss guns too much here. Some Ah Pek juniors on other blogs are accusing me of wanting to exterminate all the Ah Peks in Malaya. No lah. Mana mau tanam semua? Even the Broga landfill sudah mau tutup. But a voluntary one-way-to-a-place-of-your-choice AirAsia X free ticket deal could be worked out IF and ONLY if all attempts to forge unity via conformity proved futile.

But people like Unker Yew can stay on. We need a few here lah to be the scapegoats of our future maladies, like the Thais blaming their Krung Thep Hakka rice merchants and the Indonesians blaming their Cukongs for their economic woes.

Unker also said:-
"Confucius saying; If you go to bed with a sex problem in your mind, you'll wake up with a solution in hand the next day"

Now, this is well into M. Tigress territory. I’m just an old German Prof. remember?

-----------

Melayu Lama said:-
“Saudara KijangMas, Your article has been the subject of discussion on Rocky's Bru. In particular, this anonymous commentator who had written in the comments section of Rocky's Bru. I reproduce the comment below …”

Yup, no big deal. In fact, I have a good idea who wrote this. As they say, “Siapa termakan cili, dia lah terasa pedasss.
Resistance is normal.

This guy is “tribalism” at its worst, masking his OWN xenophobia and utter refusal to be an Anak Bangsa Malaysia with a false sense of “alarm” and “concern” and equating the ideas with Adolf Hitler (quote: “had to put a luger to his own mouth”).

Wow, baru cakap pasal kongsi satu bahasa dan budaya pun sudah sama kan dengan Hitler’s Final Solution ka? That’s why I said in my old Robin post that these anti-Melayus are the neo-Anak Manjas of Malaysia. Tegur sikit sudah mau repot kat mak. Malu lah. Belum lagi kena belasah Kelaté-style .

You know the weird thing about these Anak Manjas? They suka pukul curi dari belakang on other blogs. The only word for them is pengecut.

---------

A true Malaysian said:-

“I still think we should not put emphasis on which language to unite Malaysians and let nature forces determine that. I emphasise on 'nature forces' because even if a non-Malay speaks that type of broken Malay such as 'lu sudah makan ka', so be it.”

Understand your point. BUT we have already endured 51 YEARS of this “lu sudah makan ka” language by the non-Malays. Sampai bila?

Why got no pride in your National Language? What is the real problem here?

A true Malaysian said:-
“Try to put yourself in the shoes of a Chinese Malaysian that need to learn Malay, English, Mandarin and dialects. Ask yourself, would you able to master all these languages?”

So who created this dilemma? The Malays? The government? Nobody forced you to compel your kids to learn the national language of China on top of BM and English. You yourself stepped into the cesspool. Would your employer be amused if you attribute your mediocre job performance to your preoccupation with a couple of other moonlighting jobs you hold?

Also, what do you mean “that need to learn Malay”? You MUST learn the national language as a matter of duty and obligation as a citizen. Blur lah this twist to the logic.

Again, nobody forced you to learn Mandarin. Your parents deemed it fit, and if you cannot handle the multiple language load, you solve it within your family lah. But Bahasa Malaysia is a necessity for your future in this country.

Imagine saying this very same line to an American schoolteacher:
“Maam, try to put yourself in the shoes of a Chinese American that need to learn English, Mandarin and dialects. Ask yourself maam, would you able to master all these languages?” Mrs. Redneck would laugh at your face and summon your parents for a pep talk with the local PTA!

A true Malaysian said:-
“Also, very often, we forget the existence of rakyat in Sabah and Sarawak. They too are part of Malaysia but we often overlook their interest in deciding which language to unite Malaysians. Are they also agree wholeheartedly that Malay language should be the one?”

Oh, I see your mind has been influenced by the new DAP confuse-the-rakyat strategy where all “non-Malays” are now told they too have grievances and need to join the “resistance” – the Orang Asli, the Orang Laut, the non-Muslim Borneo Bumiputras.

Two points for you to understand here:-
1) Why in the yr 2008 you think we still need the “agreement” of any segment of Malaysian society on the choice of a National Language which has been in the Constitution since 1957? Blur again here.

2) Long before there was a Malaysia, the diverse natives of Borneo converse with one another in the neutral regional Bahasa Melayu in their daily trade and social interactions, especially in the ports and crossroads. Didn’t I mention it in my post? Go read again. Why you Cina Semenanjung want them to speak English? How many of the Sabah natives can speak English. Why want to create more problems just because you want to avoid Bahasa Malaysia at all costs? Yet more blur here.

----------

Richard Cranium said:-
“In all non-Malay circles, Bahasa Melayu-Bahasa Kebangsaan-Bahasa Malaysia is never disputed as the lingua franca. Yes, some don't speak as well as the native speakers. Surely you don't think the level of ease with a language means they are not qualified to be full citizens, do you?"

After 51 years, yes.

You should be ashame to even ask this question. After 51 years, every one of us should already be a “native speaker.” How many more decades for us to wait for your kind to be able to speak Bahasa Malaysia at a fluency refective of your status as a Warganegara of this country? Why so slow? What other tongkats do you need?

Listen, “people born in their country of citizenship” are “natives” of that country. How come you don’t view yourself as a “native”? When someone calls you a “pendatang,” you throw tantrums.

Then what are you?

If you’re neither a “native” nor a “pendatang,” then lu apa? Got special category, special jenis ah? “Rakyat Malaysia Yang Tak Mau Cakap Bahasa Malaysia” category? Why always want special treatment and throw tantrums if don’t get things your way?

-----------

Apek Bukit Kepong (@ KNN the bullshitter in many blogs) said :-
“walauwei.. wa talak faham la taukey. Lu cakap olang cina talak cakap itu bahasa malayu betul2 ah. Lu cakap kita cakap bahasa malayu apek ahhh.. tapi lu cakap itu apa bahasa ahhh? Itu bahasa lu cakap ada apploval dewan bahasa ka? apa pasal lu bole itu slang kelantan ah? tapi wa cakap bahasa malayu apek talak bule ah? walauwei.. wa manyak pening wooo. ini olang putih cakap lu talak "walk the talk" mahh.. olang malaysia cakap "u only talk the cock " mahhh..cakap talak selupa bikin punya.. KNN!”

Lu tau apasal gua boleh cakap Kalantan dan lu tak boleh cakap Malayu apek? Mau tau? Sebab gua TUAN INI NEGELI dan lu balu timbul dari itu tongkang kasi masok senyap-senyap gua punya negeli. Lepas tu lu punya moyang dapat itu fili punya kelakyatan tapi tak mau holomat sama bahasa lu punya Tuan Tanah. Ini betui punya Nang Buti Nang, xx Buti xxx punya olang.

Lu misti paham, Bahasa Malayu Kalantan, Bahasa Malayu Kadah, Bahasa Malayu Telengganu, Bahasa Malayu Pélak dan lain-lain bahasa Malayu wujud sudah satu libu tahon atas ini Tanah Malayu sebelum ada itu Bahasa Malayu standad stail Johor-Liau.

Tapi lu punya bahasa Malayu Apek lu balu bikin mau kasi lu senang-senang cakap sebab lu punya lidah aaa, itu lidah manyak kalas woh, mau sebut “r’ pun tak boleh, mau cakap “d” jadi “t” dan semua ayat lu kasi tebalik depan piligi balakang dan tengah piligi depan.
Lu idup ini macam manyak susah lah Apek. Lu cakap pun tak tau, tapi lu mau manyak-manyak hak, kalau boleh ahh, ini satu nagala pun lu mau angkot balik tongsan ohh. Itu pasal olang Malayu malah sama lu.

Olang Malayu aah …. kita baik hati punya olang … itu pasal kita kasi kelakyatan fili sama lu. Tapi aaah ….. lu olang tidak telima kasih dan tak mau tutuk sini baik-baik, ikut undang-undang, jangan buang sampah sana sini, jangan manyak culi sana tipu sini, dan kasi holomat sama lu punya Tuan Tanah.

Itu pasal lu kena balajar itu betui punya bahasa Malayu. Itu gua punya bahasa Kalantan lu tak boleh tanya. Lu ingat lu sapa? Lu punya cakap tak laku ini negeli. Kalau lu tak mau cakap itu buku punya Bahasa Malayu, gua ingat gua mau bikin lu cakap itu Bahasa Kalantan lah. Macam itu apek-apek di Kalantan. Manyak pantai cakap itu Kalantan punya Malayu. Cakap betui punya Kalantan manyak syiok ohh, bukan macam lu punya Malayu, tonggang langgang tepi jamban dalam longkang punya bahasa. Oh ya, itu olang putih cakap lu olang jenis “got no kock.” Gua ingat betui lah.

Haiya, Ka xx xx Bu punya olang. Bikin koto ini blog lah. TNS!

---------

Eddy said:-
“Alas, we know that many of our Nation's Decision and Policy makers who sent their children to International Schools like the Mary Ellis and many more around Kuala Lumpur. If these Orang-orang Besar, the Ministers are not convinced of the use of Bahasa Melayu for their own children education maka alamat memang susahlah hendak mencapai tahap Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa dan Satu Negara.”

Agree.

--------------

jlshyang said:-
“Btw, i'm a product of the national school. I'm all for the national school system and i'm not supportive of vernacular schools …”

Finally, a progressive Anak Bangsa Malaysia on the right track.

jlshyang said:-
“… but i must say that our government itself is practicing segregation! … My world crumbled after i found out that most of them were recruited to attend one of the MARA institutions thus could not join me in my new secondary school. By Form 3, all of them have left for MARA, especially the academically brilliant ones. Thus left the non-Malays to compete with one another and the Malays left in school were the 'mat rempits'. The balance was lost. There was no more integration in school and i gradually lost touch with my Malay friends in MARA as most of them were sent outstation. Thanks to today's technology, i recently managed to locate some of them.”

Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, I know this distruptive “academic estrangement” is one of the issues we as a nation must tackle. I don’t have the answer, as the solution would affect many other variables of the NEP Value Chain. I myself am a product of the Sekolah Kebangsaan from Darjah Satu to Tingkatan Lima. I’ve never set foot in an MRSM or other Bumiputra boarding school. My route to education and career was somewhat non-conventional in the Malay/Malaysian context and perhaps that’s why I view these things from a fresh angle.

This divergent educational tracks – even between the Bumi and non-Bumi Sekolah Kebangsaan kids – will be a major issue for deliberations in our quest to forge a Bangsa Malaysia with bahasa and budaya commonalities.

----------------.

Anonymous (November 12, 2008 6:11 AM) said:-
“Tahniah kerana berjaya menulis satu artikel yang amat baik yang saya percaya akan sentiasa disebut-sebut bukan sahaja dikalangan bloggers , tapi di media massa lain pada satu hari nanti.”

Ya saudara/i, saya harap penulisan saya dapat mencetuskan suasana pemikiran yang baru dan berwibawa tentang perlunya kita rakyat Malaysia bersatu di bawah arca Bahasa dan Tatatertib dan Budaya Melayu. Ini tidak bermakna kita tidak boleh menuntut ilmu atau bertutur secara peribadi dalam bahasa Inggeris atau apa-apa bahasa lain, TETAPI Bahasa Malaysia harus unggul dan meliputi segala intipati gaya hidup dan falsafah semua Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Anonymous (November 12, 2008 6:11 AM) said:-
“Bacalah satu artikel menarik dari seorang wartawan Singapura yang bekerja di Straits Time. (Rujuk di http://nfirdaus.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/malays-n-singapore/ - bukan blog saya) Halusilah hati nurani penulis ini yang saya percaya mewakili sebahagian besar orang Melayu Singapura. Lupakanlah label 'meritokrasi' yang dilaung-laungkan oleh mereka kerana hakikatnya diskriminasi terhadap kaum Melayu Singapura adalah benar-benar berlaku.”

Ya, kisah Orang Melayu Singapura perlu di kaji secara teratur dengan lunas-lunas ilmiah yang tinggi. Dunia harus sedar dan faham bagaimana kaum lain telah mengikis hak dan identity bangsa dan tuan asal pulau itu sampai ke tahap sekarang, dengan di selubungi “pencapaian ekonomi” yang di katakan lebih tinggi dari mana-mana pribumi Nusantara lain.

Tapi cukup kah sekadar ada rumah pangsa HDB dan kereta plet merah buat angkot barang hari minggu? Dan ini di bayar dengan harga yg teramat tinggi sekali – maruah bangsa dan bahasa kita?

Saya bukan pakar tentang kaum Melayu Singapura. Kisah Kelantan dan Melayu Patani saya boleh berhujah panjang lebar. Tapi untuk kisah dan masa depan orang Melayu Singapura, kita harus ada pakar-pakar yang boleh menonjolkan fakta statistik dan sejarah yang jitu dan bernas.

Saya... said...

"Now, this is well into M. Tigress territory. I’m just an old German Prof. remember? "



Yes, yes, you are! Germans more into NAZI role playing stuff. But Punjabis never read Confucius and they never have a problem...so nahhh...can't help. Sorry, professor.

Anonymous said...

Ethnic groups in Malaysia by region Nationwide

Banjarese • Malay (one each eg kelate, kedoh, tanjung, perak, trengganu)• Chinese (one each from Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese, Teochew, Mandarin, Hainanese, Min Bei, Foochow dialects)• Indian (one each Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujerati, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, and Sinhalese)• Bugis • Eurasian • Javanese . Baba Nyonya • Malaccan Portuguese • Chitty • Malaysian Siam • Minangkabau • Orang Asli (each from Temiar, Jah Hut, Mah Meri, Senoi, Jakun, Temuan, Biduanda, Kintak, Kensiu, and Ce Wong)

Sarawak - Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language.
Bidayuh • Bisaya • Bukitan • Iban • Lun Bawang • Kayan • Kedayan • Kelabit • Kenyah • Melanau • Penan • Punan • Selako • Ukit

Sabah -
Bajau(laut dan darat one each) • Brunei • Dusun • Ida'an • Kadazan • Lotud • Murut • Orang Sungai (macam macam, one each)• Rungus • Suluk

KijangMas,

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow -http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2004/abdulla1.html

Random pick from the very remote interiors, each one representing their ethnic group. Only those who do not know a single word of Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Inggeris will qualify. Bring them as special guests to Putrajaya.

Collect RM1 each from the Rakyat, to help with expenses while in Putrajaya for their 1month stay. Get Air Asia to sponsor their air tickets.

Telecast LIVE 24hours for all to hear and see.

Let us pick a simple and easy topic. (Like Miss Universe pageant interviews,), ask them to pour their hearts content (10minutes each) of what they think of Malaysia.

Get ONLY Unker Lim (to interview them in the Bahasa that he knows best) and to also be THE translator, someone like of Larry King or Oprah.

Let us see what happens from here OK. I will personally donate RM10K.

Tongkang

Unknown said...

KijangMas Dear

There is a book written by the niece of Yusof Ishak entitled The Singapore Dilemma. The author is Lily Zubaidah Rahim.

The "tonggang langgang tepi jamban dalam longkang punya bahasa" tribe is welcome to read too.

P.S. the other choice words, I shall not quote (I'm already in stitches)

as usual you're brilliant, budimu dikenang hingga keakhir zaman

Anonymous said...

Anonymous (November 12, 2008 6:11 AM) kata “Bacalah satu artikel menarik dari seorang wartawan Singapura yang bekerja di Straits Time.... Lupakanlah label 'meritokrasi' yang dilaung-laungkan oleh mereka kerana hakikatnya diskriminasi terhadap kaum Melayu Singapura adalah benar-benar berlaku.”

Apa yang berlaku kepada Melayu Singapura perlu diperhalusi secara mendalam. Ianya satu bentuk "ethnic-cleansing" yang amat halus dilakukan oleh Apek Singapura. Dan perkembangan yang sama sedang berlaku di Pulau Pinang. Dan saya pernah menyebut bahawa `jangan terkejut satu hari orang di luar Pulau Pinang terpaksa menggunakan pasport untuk ke Pulau Pinang'. Apa yang berlaku di Pulau Pinang sejak dari zaman kerajaan Gerakan (Cina) dan kini DAP (Cina) ialah dasar `pro-bisnes'. Betul, ia tidak kata pro-Cina, tetapi dalam dasar pro-bisnes yang nyata mendapat manfaat ialah tawkey-tawkey. Untuk menyediakan suasana (climate) yang sesuai bagi perkembangan ekonomi (mengikut definisi dan acuan Cina dan orang Melayu UMNO pun termakan tipu helah tersebut) kerajaan Gerakan/DAP sentiasa membuka peluang seluas-luas untuk ekonomi orang Cina berkembang dan bertapak dengan kukuh. Ini menyebabkan harga hartanah di Pulau Pinang di `mark-up' oleh Apek seperti mendiang Boon Siew supaya orang Melayu tidak mampu memilikinya. Banyak kawasan yang dahulunya adalah kepunyaan orang Melayu telah dibeli dengan harga yang agak tinggi dan kemudian dijual kembali dengan harga yang akhirnya tidak lagi mampu dibeli oleh orang Melayu biasa dan menyebabkan ramai orang Melayu berpindah ke Tanah Besar. Dasar yang kelihatan seperti menggalakkan pertumbuhan ekonomi sebenarnya merupakan satu bentuk ethnic-cleansing yang menghalau keluar orang-orang Melayu secara sistematik, halus dan kelihatan `natural'. Sebab itu apabila BN `kehilangan' Pulau Pinang, yang menangisi kehilangan itu hanya UMNO. Gerakan dan MCA tidak sedikitpun merasa kehilangan jauh sekali menangi kehilangan Pulau Pinang, malahan pemimpin Gerakan/MCA (Cina) dijemput untuk sama-sama membantu DAP (Cina) memajukan Pulau (Cina) Pinang. DAP konon menjemput beberapa pemimpin UMNO, namun semua orang sedar itu cuma sebahagian daripada sandiwara ethnic-cleansing yang semakin pesat berlaku. Agensi-agensi seperti PDC yang kononya menjaga kepentingan orang Melayu telah diperguna secara halus untuk pemimpin Gerakan (Cina) dan kini DAP (Cina) untuk menjamin dasar pro-bisnes (Cina) berjalan lancar. Jika tidak, bagaimana PDC membangunkan hartanah yang harganya hanya membuat orang Melayu berputih mata. Lihat dikawasan baru yang dibangunkan oleh PDC seperti di Queensbay, harga seunit rumah lebih daripada RM1 juta. Untuk orang Melayu PDC membangunkan flat-flat bersaiz 500 kaki persegi. Itu lah dasar pro-bisnes yang saya sebut.

My thesis here is that the pro-business policy effectively a form of ethnic-cleansing strategy to drive-out the Malays out of Penang. The outcomes of the PRU12 proves without doubt what kind of Chinese where have in Malaysia. They are all from the same breed.

Mr. Roots said...

KijangMas,

Saya rasa lain macam lepas baca artikel ni.Sangat positif!! macam benak2 dalam otak ni terus clear!

Apa yang selalu buat saya marah atau menyampah ialah bila orang2 konon malaysia, tak reti cakap bahasa kebangsaan lepas tu takde rasa malu.dari zaman saya masuk kolej, ke universiti sampailah bekerja, ada je jumpa orang macam ni.."haha, i dont know how to speak Malay, but i like all Malaysian food" MENYIRAP rasa bila dengar!!!bila kat luar negera, bukan main nak tiru loghat orang putih.

saya ada beberapa kawan kaum cina yang fasih bahasa melayu.dan selalunya memang akan jadi rapat tanpa menunggu masa yang lama. kalau orang2 ni lah yang nak argue pasal hak kerakyatan yang sama, dengan hati yang terbuka saya rela berbicara!

KijangMas said...

Knights Templar said:-.
“I for one agree with you that There should be only one unifying Language and thats Bahasa Malaysia.The Chinese and Tamil schools MUST go and it will take only 1 generation to mould a Bangsa Malaysia.Sad thing is ,the politicians who scream of being called Pendatangs will be the same ones who will screem and oppose the closing down of vernacular scools.”

Yup. The most confused species to languish in Bumi Malaysia are the non-Malay politicians.

Beyond opposing anything resembling a commonality in language and national identity and to champion the language, culture and philosophies of distant foreign nations, these opportunists have no idea what they really want out of governance and what sort of society they want to create out of the people they purportedly represent.

------------------

Apocryphalist,

Wow!

You’ve out-Craniumed that “Richard”@Au Yeong Pak Toh of Chemor New Village.

There is one “God” movie that is applicable to these clueless anti-Melayus/anti-Muslims –

THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY.

Now how do we translate that!

----------------

Anonymous (November 10, 2008 9:52 PM) said:-
“Kijangmas, Others are asking for your identity, I suggest you just let it be. Still, please answer yes or no to this: Does 08173351 ring any bells? I twisted the end. If yes, last year I was very busy there too.”

Ahaa, some interesting clues here ....

BUT not at Surabaya la Pak. Mostly at 0818 68xxxx. The land of the macet banget and hordes of pretty cewek-cewek!

Anonymous said...

Dear Deminegara,

Excellent points. This is exactly the concept of 'Bangsa Malaysia'. But I'm afraid it is quite difficult to realise your idea without some bloodsheds as there are just too many stubborn extremists in this country. On top of that, 'Malay Supremacy' has to be obliterated in order to achieve 'Bangsa Malaysia'. Are Malays ready for that? I guess not. Even Tun Mahathir had failed to change Malays. How? Susahlah...

Anonymous said...

Salam KijangMas. =)

Saya ni nak mengucapkan setinggi2 tahniah dkt saudara kerana dapat tulis artikel yang sebegini hebat.
Saya dapat tahu pun dari blog Rockybru. Dah 5, 6 hari saya mengikuti blog ni, spesifiknya artikel yang ni. tapi baru nak letak komen sekarang.

mmg seronok baca kijangmas punya jawapan2 kpd orang2 yang komen dkt sini. antara yang mencuit hati saya tadi, jawapan kijangmas kpd komen apek bukit kepong, pasal bahasa melayu kelantan dgn bahasa melayu ala kecinaan tu. xD

and when you explained about the california uni scenario as response to shad's "playing the field" and "best result rule".... i think it's superb!

I'm looking forward to read your next article about the definition of Malay. =)

Hmm... Jika nak direnungkan, rakyat Malaysia mungkin sudah lupa dgn slogan ni: "Bahasa Menunjukkan Bangsa"

FMMZ

Anonymous said...

Hi Kijangmas,

The best 'pakar' - in my opinion - about the Malays in Singapore (for latest statistics etc) is Dr. Hussin Mutalib, the last time I heard he was a lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS)and if I am not mistaken in the Political Science Department.

The book by Dr. Lily Zubaidah Rahim can be used as a reference as the figures/statistics are not up to date. Another book which is relevant is by Wan Hussin Zohri - my ex School Principal. He used to be an MP. Sorry I can't remember the title of the book.

Regards.
zazaland

Anonymous said...

I think the time is right to counter the fallacies propagated and regurgitated by the Malaysian-Chinese.

let's start with the oft-regurgitated fallacy that the Chinese are hard-working people.

are they really that hard-working or are they just nerds who got nothing better to do?

look at all the the so-called straight A students... has any of them set the world alight with their academic excellence?

is Malaysia blessed with good doctors/engineers/lawyers/professors?

hardly!

but, what we do have are just more doctors/engineers/lawyers who have pieces of paper attesting to their professional status... met any good doctors/engineers/lawyers/professors lately, have you?

some Malaysian-Chinese might argue that most of their creme-de-la-creme are working abroad... but, as what?

chances are... most of them are stuck in dead-end jobs which the citizens of those countries would avoid anyway.

these are the types that would come back for holidays with their phony accents because while they were there they couldn't really fit in.

they stick to their Chinatowns and mingle with their own kind... not by choice, mind you... it's because they have never learned the meaning of the word assimilation.

roll back the years and try to remember your school-going days...

did the Timothy/Suzie Wongs who aced their exams have many friends?

did they do anything else in school, besides studying?

could it be that the Chinese brain isn't capable of multi-tasking?

give this a try... the next time you see a Chinese colleague speaking on the phone try getting his/her attention (good luck to you) and if you succeed in getting his/her attention, make up some questions and see if you can get him/her to answer those questions.

but, seriously...

Q. who are these Malaysian-Chinese and where did they come from?

A. they are Chinese and they came from China... a no-brainer, right?

yes, they are Chinese... but, the Mandarins or the serfs?

yes, they came from China... but, the China under the corrupt Emperors or the corrupt Chinese under Communism?

how did the corrupt Emperors and Communism unify the 56-ethnic-groups?

hey, what do you know... a common language!

BUT... most importantly, the answer to the how that I was referring to, was by FORCE... it's the ONLY language that their brains are able to decipher!

give them democracy... what do you get?

TAIWAN!

is Singapore a democracy?

I'll leave this to your own interpretations of the merits/demerits of democracy ala Singapura.

although, a food for thought... after they have buried Kuan Yew, they have to sooner or later as no one lives forever, how long will it take before they revert to their old ways?

they are fine now because they fine you for everything in Singapura (pun is intended)... but, does this mean that they neither spit nor litter in public any more?

maybe, only in Singapura... try asking their next-door neighbours, the Johorians!

hey, old habits die hard.

another fallacy is the importance of Mandarin.

if Bahasa Malaysia is deemed not suitable for learning Maths and Science... would Mandarin be any better?

if Communist China were to adopt democracy in the near future... will she suffer the same fate as the former U.S.S.R.?

and, how long will it be before the 56-ethnic-groups discard Mandarin and revert to their respective native languages?

again, old habits die hard.

lastly, one question for KijangMas with regards to Bahasa Malaysia as a unifying language... is it because the Chinese won't or can't?

and, KijangMas, take pride in the fact that they have recognized you as a threat, which is the only reason a certain Mr.X has taken the trouble to set-up a special blog for your detractors to hentam and nullify the threat that you pose.

know thy enemy.



theBOLDanon

Anonymous said...

When will be the good day the Orang Asli come forward to utter their rightful word - "you all go back to your land of origin and leave us alone".

Then malays, Indians and Chinese etc, can all pack and leave Malaysia for good.

Anonymous said...

Royum,

Maybe you don't understand what you have been reading so far eh? Take a tour,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_Malaysia

Then read this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/183392.stm

Dont get left behind, you are outdated!

Tortoise..

Unknown said...

Hey theBOLDanon

November 15, 2008 3:33 PM

yeah, studying is what they do best - memory work that is

if the exams are not in a written format and the questions are not of the regurgitate kind

guess what - they can't score

they depend on MEMORY not so much on intellect

they invest in 10 year series and home tuition

their product - ruyom and club

Anonymous said...

SkyForce November 15, 2008 12:06 PM said:-
"On top of that, 'Malay Supremacy' has to be obliterated in order to achieve 'Bangsa Malaysia'. Are Malays ready for that?"

What? Are you kidding? That's my line you are reading.

We have been waiting for this for the last half a century. That's how patient we are. We have missed one golden chance. This is 1k times better, because the so called 'malay supermacy' was / is only a false flag.

50 years of waiting makes us hungry, very hungry. We might take the whole cake.

Surely your real leader(s) know(s) this.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr German Professor or Sergeant Schultz,

Hope to find you well this morning. Why you can read me so well! Betul la indeed, instead of mangoes, it’s actually curi rambutans lah. Yes, I’m memang baik hati. But I could also be your famous unker CSL, hey if the video can do wonders to Paris Hilton, why not for me! Or I could be your ultimate mother of all unker, YB Kit himself!

Some good points raised by Adidas Cat, Eddy & jlshyang regarding the Bangsa Malaysia, Sekolah Kebangsaan concept and the fact that all/most the orang besar/VIPs have not much faith in them ie if you don’t play the game, you don’t set the rules, ya? Also as you so aptly put;

Yes, I know this distruptive “academic estrangement” is one of the issues we as a nation must tackle. I don’t have the answer, as the solution would affect many other variables of the NEP Value Chain. I myself am a product of the Sekolah Kebangsaan from Darjah Satu to Tingkatan Lima. I’ve never set foot in an MRSM or other Bumiputra boarding school. My route to education and career was somewhat non-conventional in the Malay/Malaysian context and perhaps that’s why I view these things from a fresh angle.

This divergent educational tracks – even between the Bumi and non-Bumi Sekolah Kebangsaan kids – will be a major issue for deliberations in our quest to forge a Bangsa Malaysia with bahasa and budaya commonalities.

I shall wait with abetted breadth your answer to this.

I’m also amazed at your linguistic prowess answer to Apek bukit kepong. You must have a KNN, TFK, tau foo fah, nang buti nang KNN bu PHD from the University of Hard Knocks too (money cannot buy one), being able to mingle ‘up close & personal’ with the likes of Patrick Lim, Matt Chang, Vincent Tan & also ‘get down & dirty’ with your house renovator Ah Meng & sing karaoke with Ah Long at Super Star lounge, betul kah?

I think M.Tigress must have ‘Lost in Translation’ with my Confucius sayings, so better main juah juah with her, else she (like her name implies) shreds me to pieces & have me for breakfast. I know Punjabi is not into Confucius sayings but if I may, they are into Joni Mitchell (Both sides Now) & Chuck Mangione (Feel so Good). Cheeky only lah, no malice intended.

Also you should give the BOLDanon some ‘teach your children well’ medicine. I’m upset lah, he went off topic & made fun of the size of my manhood , wait until I had to shaft it up his nostrils, then he know! I don’t know why & how the Timothy/Suzie Wongs being studious upset him. It’s ppl like them including all the Jefri Ibrahims, Adam Osmans, Aloysious Muthusamys that make me what I’m today with their help with my homework & research (copy-lah). Also why would you interrupt ppl whilst they are on the phone. If I do that to kijangmas, he’s likely to blow me off with his glock!

I’d a dream over the weekend that Teresa Kok & Khir Toyol kissed & make up. Story goes like this;

The romance was off to a shaky start from the beginning coz she was conservative while he was traditional BN, but they decided to live together on the basis of agreeing to disagree. It went well for a short time until a tv3 program set off the inevitable political argument.

When they retired to bed, he remained on the left & she on the extreme right.

Eventually she made an overture; “There’s a split in the PR movement & it is quite likely that if a BN member stood, he could slip in unopposed.”

“Too late,” he said. “There’s been too much stimulation in the private sector & he has blown his deposit.”…………..I hope there’s no lost in translation this time.

Tabik for now,
Unker Yew

PS – I think I’ll sign up for a tour of duty with ‘Medicins sans frontiere’ since ZZ had being ignoring me.

Anonymous said...

Saudara KijangMas,

A very good reply indeed to the comment highlighted to you in Rocky's Bru.

Those totok-like people are really the ones suffering from Xenophobia.

I agree wholeheartedly with the final paragraph in your reply:

"You know the weird thing about these Anak Manjas? They suka pukul curi dari belakang on other blogs. The only word for them is pengecut."

If he or she was arguing on substance, they should've brought the argument here rather than in another blog. Cowards indeed....

Salam.

MELAYU LAMA
www.melayu-lama.blogspot.com

al-razi959 said...

Kijangmas, pertama sekali, tahniah kerana menghasilkan satu artikel yang isinya amat bermanfaat untuk kita sebagai rakyat MALAYSIA.

Apapun, saya tertarik dengan satu komen daripada "A true Malaysian said..." yang berbunyi begini:
As I see it, it is impossible to have Bangsa Malaysia to be united under one language, your language, or mine language, at least and until the present movement.

Even the term, Bahasa Malaysia has changed to Bahasa Melayu and then to Bahasa Malaysia and then to Bahasa Baku and so on, has not even settled down to collect dust, what is there to talk about uniting Bangsa Malaysia under one language?"

Pada saya, tiada yang begitu sukar dengan "penjenamaan" bahasa kerana isinya tetap sama. Contoh, jika kita hendak makan nasi. Jika Bahasa Melayu: "Saya hendak makan nasi". Bahasa Malaysia: "Saya hendak makan nasi". Bahasa Baku: "Saya hendak makan nasi". Ada perbezaan?

Tentang "penjenamaan bahasa" cumalah satu permasalahan yang kecil jika hendak dibandingkan dengan 'penggunaan' dan 'penghayatan' Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia. Nama bahasa itu perlu, yang mana, jika diberikan pilihan, biarlah namanya BAHASA MALAYSIA, kerana, biarpun Indonesia menggunakan bahasa melayu, ianya dipanggil Bahasa Indonesia. Lagipun, ia sekadar nama. Tiada hilang Melayunya jika betul penggunaan tatabahasa dan nahunya.

Sekadar berkongsi pendapat untuk difikirkan bersama...

Anonymous said...

Salam KM
I have took more then 2 hours to stare at my PDA to read post and the comments (frankly I didn't read all)
I'm agreed to almost of your's, then I would like to come with another suggestion ( put behind what some people those provoke u said - hahaha.. with this kind english, I wish to claim i'm american and would like to contest for Presiden of america next 4 years)
Ramai yg bersetuju dengan pendapat saudara dalam perlunya menjadikan Bahasa Malaysia sebagai bahasa utama, dimartabatkan ketempat yg sepatutnya utk memenuhi matlamat dan falsafahnya, oleh itu
mengapa tidak kita mulakan dengan diri sendiri dalam memartabatkan bahasa kita, saya cadangkan agar di dalam penulisan saudara dan di blog2 yg ada, disertakan sekurang2nya 2 atau 3 perengan ditulis dalam bahasa melayu di penghujung setiap artikel yg panjang lebar dalam bahasa ingeris tu sebagai 'conclusion' atau sebagai ayat penutupnya.
Tidak susah rasanya.
By doing this, u still can deliver your writen to your aim's readers and same time u still put bahasa in the right place..
Guano cadenge ambo ni.. buleh paka ko tidak, harap pahe2 lah muga tidok sekolah tinggi mana, cadenge pun setakat hok masuk mari dale pala jah laa.

Salam.. teruskan perjuangan.. ambo sokong sokmo..

Anonymous said...

SATU ARTIKEL YANG CUKUP HEBAT, LENGKAP DAN DAPAT MENIMBULKAN MINAT SERTA MENYEMARAKKAN PARA PEMBACA. INYA JUGA MENGETUK PARA RACIST DAN PARA ANTI BAHASA MELAYU ATAU MEREKA YANG TAKSUB BERBAHASA LAIN SELAIN BAHASA MALAYSIA. CUMA SATU SAHAJA YANG TAK KENA PADA ARTIKEL INI... NAK TAHU??????.... PENULIS SENDIRI MENGGUNAKAN BAHASA ORANG PUTIH.... CUBALAH TADI DIA GUNAKAN BAHASA MALAYSIA... ALANGKAH BAIK, INDAH DAN LENGKAP TANPA CACAT CELA...NYA ARTIKEL INI... APA-APA PUN TAHNIAH LAH SAUDARA PENULIS.. SEMUGA ARTIKEL INI DAPAT MENYEDARKAN MEREKA WALAUPUN IANYA DALAM BAHASA ORANG PUTIH....

satD said...

Salam Abe KijangMas

Following up from ur post n our discussion perhaps the policymakers need to monitor this problem more closely and to add some dollars n cents to the problem

http://satdthinks.blogspot.com/2008/11/building-national-language-failure.html

Wassalam
satD

Anonymous said...

to the Timothy Wong who calls himself Unker Yew, who said, "...Also you should give the BOLDanon some ‘teach your children well’ medicine. I’m upset lah, he went off topic & made fun of the size of my manhood, wait until I had to shaft it up his nostrils, then he know!..."

in the words of KijangMas... "Tegur sikit sudah mau repot kat mak. Malu lah. Belum lagi kena belasah Kelaté-style..."

kalu setaro tu, nok pege pon tok leh, arwoh Tok Chik Pasir Peke pon tok reti nok buat lagu mano... lube idong luh lagi Awe... lube tlingor kalu nok pade pon
.

little (pun intended) did Unker Yew know that he, in his ignorance, proved me right when he said, "...I don’t know why & how the Timothy/Suzie Wongs being studious upset him. It’s ppl like them including all the Jefri Ibrahims, Adam Osmans, Aloysious Muthusamys that make me what I’m today..."

so, today you write gems like these:

i. "...wait until I had to shaft it up his nostrils, then he know!" ...had to... he know? ...and, nostrils? wah... bercabang kah?

ii "...The romance was off to a shaky start from the beginning..." oh, I get it, it's like, "beg your pardon, could you repeat it once again, izzit?"

iii "...he’s likely to blow me off..." know the difference between "blow me off" and "blow me away?... hmm, undeniably not!"

need I go on?

anyway... yes, I do concur that Unker Yew did, in his own words, need I remind you, learn a lot from ppl like them... after all, it's what he is today.

a proud specimen of a typical Malaysian-Chinese!

but, then again, proud also means conceited.

now, we understand what caused Unker Yew to be so upset that he had to use it twice.

truth hurts... doesn't it, Unker Yew?

knowing but never understanding and incapable of multi-tasking.

before I let you off... let me just remind Unker Yew that I know what his game is.

divide and rule.

i got many Malay flends one... i oni one Chinese, you know.

you, ah, veli good Malay one... you oso and you oso... but, that one ah, no good one... veli veli bad one, lor
.

that, I believe, should be more than adequate to encapsulate your intentions here... hey, your grandfathers tried it and the Malays fell... hook, line and sinker!

but, like I said before... people wised up to your antics.

and, oh... almost forgot... Unker Yew's favourite instrument must be a violin... can't you just hear the distinctive wailing of an out-of-tune violin squeaking somewhere in the background as he mengadu kat mak how nasty theBoldanon has been to him!

me? nasty?

you bet, I am!


theBOLDanon

Godisuno said...

yes...one language for one country. thats a good idea indeed. Then we would have one strong identity as the people of beloved Malaysia.

KijangMas said...

Melayu Lama said:-
“Having lessons taught in Bahasa Malaysia did not diminish my understanding or proficiency of the English language. So this whole idea about learning Bahasa Malaysia and being "left behind" in terms of progress in pure hogwash. Perhaps while emphasizing on Bahasa Malaysia as the one and only national language (there can be only one!), the teaching of English should not be abandoned. There is no hard and fast rule that says when our students learn in Bahasa Malaysia they will loose out on English. I am confident that our students can and will be proficient in both languages. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using our National Language and yet remain multilingual at the same time.”

Yes, KijangMas is also an example of an English-literate product of a Bahasa Malaysia-centric Sekolah Kebangsaan.

To those who attribute lack of English proficiency to the Sekolah Kebangsaan curriculum, do you think students of vernacular schools comparatively command superior English skills? Really?

You people must be hallucinating big time.

Show me the empirical correlation between Chinese and Tamil vernacular schooling with superior English skills as compared to national schools? Where?

If anything, these SRJK(C) and (T) kids are more insular, more clannish and even less receptive to English. From my own direct interaction with these products of vernacular schooling, I find them not only below par in English BUT also deficient in Bahasa Malaysia. So in addition to poor command of English (far worst than the Sekolah Kebangsaan kids), they are also handicapped in the national language – a double whammy that the vast majority will never be able to overcome.

These functional illiterates end up as a cheap source of semi-indentured labour in the motor workshops, auto accessory shops, in the building trades (tilers, plasterers, plumbers, electricians), sleazy unisex salons and, in the case of many if not most Tamil-educated Indians, general workers, lorry drivers and assorted hired hands for the towkays.

So, where is this vast trove of superior products of the Chinese and Tamil schools? Where are these people who purportedly benefit from superior education compared to the government schools?

Where?

--------------

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 4:57 AM) said:-
“I'll be quoting you at length in our publication, 'Warta Gapena' specifically the few pages on the real racist and chauvinist. Hope you don't mind. Regards. Hak Melayu.”

No problem.

Just make sure of the usual reference and attributions. Also, pls tell us where we can get issues of Warta Gapena.

-----------

denone said...
“I'll deliberate more on the development of chinese higher education in future posting - if I don't get moderated out by KijangMas :) and what it meant to Malaysia nation building.”

Please, by all means, present your piece.

We are all here to discuss and brainstorm and to agree as well as to agree to disagree.

denone added:-
"It's sad to see what's happening in Penang ... don't be surprised that one day, they need a passport to come to Penang. It's another Singapore in the making, IF we're not doing anything. May be KijangMas has other preditions about future of Penang. May be, just may be, the Sultan of Kedah would like to take back Penang. After all, Penang was given to the British through an Agreement, which I supposed we can nullify it, if we want."

No way! Hell will freeze over before Penang becomes another Singapore or any other incarnation of a Chinese-state.

The DYMM Raja-Raja Melayu will make sure the federal authorities and various instruments of governance will put a stop to the current DAP circus there if things really get out of hand.

Penang island and Province Wellesley are nothing more than colonial fictions carved by the British in 1786 and 1800 from a weakened Kedah via empty pledges of "protection" against Siamese and Bugis threats.

On hindsight, perhaps the former "colony" of Penang should have been truly de-colonised and returned to the Malay Sultanate of Kedah in 1957. As long as the perpetuation of the old coloniser boundary remains, Penang will be in a state of perpetual socio-political impasse as the products of the colonisation (the non-Malays)continue where the British left off in their quest to comprehensively de-Malaynise the polity.

------------

Anonymous (November 11, 2008) said:-
"I'm interested in what you think should be done about the Malay-speaking Thais in Southern Thailand? Force them all to speak Thai & ban Malay? One shouldn't have one rule for Malaysia & another for other countries...."

I’ve addressed this issue at length in a previous posting. For the benefit of those in need of socio-political-historical enlightenment, here’s a verbatim rerun:-

Not so simple, guy.

Try to comprehend the distinction:-

- The Malays of Patani are indigenous to the region. They were native to a region that was CONQUERED by an adjacent foreign power. And this foreign invader in turn tried to absorb these conquered nation and people into its yoke. When Nazi Germany invaded much of Europe in WW2, you expect these conquered lands and populace to be subservient neo-Germans? Of course not. They are distinct nations with the right to self-determination. And the Americans and British and their allies actually went to war over that. Same scenario in East Asia when Imperial Japan invaded much of China and Manchuria. You expect the conquered Chinese to be Japanese? Same reason you shouldn't expect the Patani Malays to be Thai.

- As for the non-Malays in Malaysia, they are not a populace of any conquered territory but are descendants of non-Nusantara immigrants who have refused to be part of Bangsa Malaysia, which BY DEFINITION, should be formed in the image of the Malays (plus the Borneo Bumiputras after 1963). The ancestors of these non-Malays -– by hook or by crook or by indentured slavery or by whatever permutation of fate, fortune or folly -– washed ashore on Tanah Melayu that was already governed by established polities, the various Kesultanan Melayu, with their embedded adat and tatatertib. These pendatangs (yeah, who said this is a bad word? When I’m in the U.S., I’m a PROUD pendatang partaking in the American dream) and especially their cucu-cicit like YOU have no business being something other than a proper member of the Bangsa Malaysia race forged in the image of the Melayu Tuan Tanah.

Understand the distinction. Again:-

- The Patani Malays are the original inhabitants of a 35,000 sq km nation that was conquered by force and deceit by the Kingdom of Siam in 1902 and affirmed by the British colonial govt. in 1909 without consultations with the conquered nation and her people.

Hence, Thailand is in no position to assimilate the populace of this distinct captive nation.

- The non-Malays of Malaysia are not a conquered people or the native populace of a captive nation. They are descendants of people who -– again, via various means -– ended up on Tanah Melayu a century ago and who, in return for the right to stay permanently, should subscribe to the language and cultural norms of the dominant native populace, the Malays and other Bumiputras. The Thai (and Indonesian and indeed American) prescription that I advocate applies to these people, just as the Thais and Indonesians compel their own ethnic-Chinese immigrants to assimilate in toto into the dominant socio-cultural milieu.

Try to comprehend distinctions in socio-political concepts and political paradigms before you throw rhetorical verbiage to support your own narrow anti-Malay racist agenda in the very land that gave your kind the shelter and opportunity when others –- even your own ancestral motherland -- refused.

Anonymous added:-
“Also interested to hear about these non-Malay celebrities not speaking Malay. Let's face it - if Tony Fernandez is speaking, there are probably 50 foreign journalists hanging around so the interview is most likely going to be in English - same with the others you mentioned.”

Not always lah. Don’t tell me Tony Fernandes is swarmed by the Western media paparazzi tracking his every move? He cannot be that important lah. I’ve seen him interviewed one-on-one by local journalists BUT the language is inevitably English, even for RTM and TV3. Why? I can speak English with the perfect Southern Californian accent (imagine Nicholas Cage) BUT I make it a point to never reveal this linguistic anomaly in my own Tanah Air.

Anonymous charged on:-
“Also like to bring up a point about non-Malay schools in Malaysia. I have never been able to find out whether the Chinese & Indian Malaysians send their kids to Chinese & Indian schools for 'racist' purposes, or so they can learn their 'mother tongue' or because the National schools are, by-and-large, rubbish. I suspect more choose because of the latter argument. One isn't going to get Chinese going to Malay schools until there is a DRASTIC improvement in the quality of education as education is everything to most Chinese.”

Your sweeping statement “National schools are, by-and-large, rubbish” is based on what? Empirical studies? Comparative performance reviews by accredited bodies? Evaluation of scores and results over a 10-year trend line, with proper variance analysis for each subject? Anecdotal evidence?

OR perhaps YOUR OWN SELF-CONCOCTED AND PERPETUATED PREJUDICE …… a yet another Chinese Malaysian Urban Legend on par with claims making the rounds in the 1970s that a major MSG brand was made of crushed pig bones? Or you’ll go blind if you TFK too much?

Let me share MY own story. When my peer group and I entered Tingkatan Satu in a Sekolah Kebangsaan from the Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (both in PJ), we were amazed at the “alien” traits of the SRJK(C)and SRJK(T) pupils who had to undergo “Remove Class” in order to “acclimatize” to the Malaysian educational mainstream. These Chinese and Tamils were somehow rougher, cruder and less tolerant of others and cling together in their own little Chinese and Tamil bubbles.

They reflect their first six years of utter neglect at their SRJKs. And have you been to an SRJK(T)? Take a walk around the classes and facilities. And you have the audacity to say that these outrage-to-our-future-generation is BETTER than the Sekolah Kebangsaan? You must be high on hallucigenics! Go read this.

Where is literacy in Tamil-writing an asset in Malaysia or even in India beyond Tamil Nadu?

Anyway, the teachers had a hard time controlling these SRJK products, which by and large did very badly in exams, with many -- as mentioned earlier -- dropping out after their disastrous SRPs and the rest flooding the job market after their very average SPM scores, with most ending up as cheap labour for the ubiquitous Chinese trades while others embarked on a lifelong career of illegal economic activities – peddling cetak rompak VCDs, software, and everything duplicable by humankind. Go to any mall or hypermart and you’ll be harassed by these products of the SRJK(C)s – hustling irate shoppers with anything under the sun – credit cards, water filters, telco services, cooking utensils, phony lucky draws ..... you name it.

So my question: where are the brilliant products of these non-national schools? Where?

For every one example, I can give you 5-10 examples of far superior, more well-rounded national school alumnis of all ethnicities.

No. These products of the vernacular schools are actually a source of cheap, obedient labour for the non-Malay communities, an indispensible resource pool for the Towkays and Kapalas. These young Malaysians could hardly read and write in Bahasa Malaysia. And forget about English! Do you speak English to the assorted Chinaman plumbers, tiling man and building sub-contractors over the inevitable excruciating billing dispute?

Anonymous proclaimed:-
“I say this as the father of a young Malaysian who can't speak Malay!”

Oh dear. You ought to be flogged in public for being such an irresponsible parent! You have limited your child’s future in this country – her sense of belonging, her self-worth among other Malaysians, her compatibility with future work mates if she’s still here.

Anonymous rationalised:-
“My daughter needs to be able to compete in the global community. I will do everything it takes to help her. There are NO National schools anywhere near Ampang that give such an education - I did the research. I even considered putting my daughter into Chinese school but they wanted a bribe of RM10k to submit the application - I don't bribe. So, my daughter is now in an International School costing me a fortune, but it will be worth it if she can make it anywhere in the world on her own. Oh, and she has 1 lesson of Malay per week, where they learn 1 or 2 words per lesson. Sad, but true. If there were world-class National Schools my daughter would be in one, and I'd have an extra half a million ringgit in my pocket at the end of 12 years of schooling.”

Not much to comment except to say that you are a sad, pathetic excuse for a parent. You allow your own inherent bigotry against anything “Malay” and anything “Kebangsaan" to overcome whatever iota of rationality you have in your troubled soul. Your insecurity, your quest to find some elusive “world-class” educational neverland for your poor, innocent daughter has led to this self-induced educational and financial fiasco.

Good luck to her in the Ampang-area International School, with its bunch of rowdy Koreans, Arabs, Iranians and fast maturing Westerners. These scoundrels are the ones who vandalise lifts and parked cars in KL high-end condos. Their Malaysian schoolmates will mimic their rebellious mindset and many would be a handful to their parents. How do you envision your daughter peer pressured to go “dating” at 13 or 14? And YOU did all these to avoid many excellent national schools in the Setiawangsa, Melawati and Wangsa Maju areas? Good luck with your parenting challenges ahead.

Anonymous said...

“My daughter needs to be able to compete in the global community. I will do everything it takes to help her. There are NO National schools anywhere near Ampang that give such an education - I did the research. I even considered putting my daughter into Chinese school but they wanted a bribe of RM10k to submit the application - I don't bribe. So, my daughter is now in an International School costing me a fortune, but it will be worth it if she can make it anywhere in the world on her own.”

Anon, who says that you have to go to an international school to 'make it anywhere in the world on your own'? Who says that sekolah kebangsaan can't prepare you for this? If you believe in this, then you are undermining your own's child intelligence, resourcefulness and adaptability. I have met many many products of sekolah kebangsaan that are settling down well in their professional jobs in UK, US, Australia, Middle East etc, 'competing in the global community'; and I am also speaking from first-hand experience (and I'm sure Kijangmas will be able to vouch to this from his own experience). No, you do not need to go to international school for this.

-galapagos-

h.a.z.O.N.E said...

Syabas diucapkan pada saudara kijangmas. Sungguh bernas idea-idea saudara. Inilah erti Malaysian Malaysia sebenar. Hampir menitis air mata membaca tentang senario yang berlaku sekarang.

Hoho. Saya pemuda yang baru sahaja bergelar suami kepada gadis Kelantan. Nampok gayo kena belajo kecek Kelate. Tok pehe lagi hak-hak Kelate pekat nih..hoho..

Teruskan menulis saudara Kijangmas. Dari penulisan kijangmas, saya dapat mengagak kijangmas ni dari kalangan keluarga diraja Kelantan.. Tapi mungkin juga professor German, apek ke...entohle..

Anonymous said...

Zhi Yuan said...
"It's important for us to understand that it is also within our human instinct to seek equality and fairness. In some scientific research, even a typical 3 years old children understand the concept of fairness."

Zhi Yuan, my grandson, a 3 year-old, who insists to follow his 6 year-old brother to Pra Sekolah class at Sek Keb. Jalan Pasar yesterday asked me, "Why the 65% Bumi are only alotted 30% share. Why also the 26% Chinese demand for 70% share."?

Her elder brother retorted, "Mana boleh. Abang nak 70%. Nak jugak. Nak jugak."

You solve their problem Zhi Yuan. Its your fault. You teach these 3 year-olds the "concept of fairness." And remember, when our 6 yeal-olds say "Nak jugak. Nak jugak." you should not distract them by bribing them with some pop corn or something.

That sure make the fathers and the grand fathers unhappy. Very unhappy.

Unknown said...

Kijangmas,
Saya hendak mengucapkan tahniah kepada saudara kerana penulisan yang sangat kemas, tersusun dan padat dengan isi yang tepat.

Saya hendak memberi komen mengenai idea kamu tentang penggunaan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa perantaraan, ia memang baik yg mana menggalakkan semua rakyat Malaysia bercakap bahasa Melayu.

Tapi bagaimana dengan orang Asli dan bumiputra Sabah Sarawak? Mereka juga orang ASAL di Malaysia dan dah tentunya berbangga dengan bahasa mereka sendiri. Adakah kita harus menyuruh atau memaksa mereka bercakap bahasa Melayu padahal mereka juga ada hak di atas bumi tercinta ini.

Perlu diingatkan faktor Bahasa Melayu menjadi bahasa rasmi di Malaysia selain di sebabkan oleh majoriti penduduk Malaysia iaitu bangsa Melayu, ia juga di sebabkan penguasaan raja-raja melayu sebagai pemerintah berkurun lamanya.

Mungkin niat kamu menulis artikel ini untuk ditujukan kepada bangsa Cina dan India, tapi saya tak nampak pula di mana kamu tekankan ayat sebegitu. Wallahualam.

Anonymous said...

Wahai Sadiq,

Perlukah berhujah semata2 hendak berhujah.

"Tapi bagaimana dengan orang Asli dan bumiputra Sabah Sarawak? Mereka juga orang ASAL di Malaysia..."

Sadiq sendiri jawab,

"Perlu diingatkan faktor Bahasa Melayu menjadi bahasa rasmi di Malaysia selain di sebabkan oleh majoriti penduduk Malaysia iaitu bangsa Melayu, ia juga di sebabkan penguasaan raja-raja melayu sebagai pemerintah berkurun lamanya."

Lagipon saudara KijangMas telah menjelaskan dengan panjang lebar tentang penggunaan Bahasa Malaysia dlm artikel ini. Penggunaan bahasa ibunda masing2 tidak diharamkan sama sekali sebaliknya boleh diguna pakai oleh kaum tersebut dalam lingkungan masysarakat itu sendiri.

Sila baca balik artikel ini sepenuhnya termasuk komen2 yg ditulis untuk memahami isu ini secara total. Klu tak paham Bahasa Inggeris, sila rujuk kamus atau tanya orang yang paham.

Anonymous said...

Hi theBOLDanon,

In the old days, I’ll be sent to my little corner with a “D” cone shaped hat for being disrespectful to my elders or have 5 of the best with the rotan.

Anyway thank you for the English lesson & nah I don’t like the name Timothy Wong, I prefer if you call me Tommy Yew the Pinball Wizard. Kijangmas knows the reason why Tommy is blind too, urban legend?? Also ‘blow me off’ is a private joke I was having with KM. ‘Blow me away’ is more Dirty Harry style & too violent to my liking.

I don’t know why you are so fascinated with the term ‘multi-tasking’. As far as I know, it’s a buzz word first coined by the ‘kwai-loh’business gurus, later perfected by the chinaman towkays to unscrupulously exploit their staff. Multi-taskers are what they call ‘dog’s body’ or ‘one leg kick’ to them respectively behind your back. In front of you, they’ll say you are indispensible & a valuable member of the team. The beauty of this is that, it makes the Multi-tasker feel so proud too. On the other hand if you multi-task for your own personal benefit, than good on you. My humble advice to you is to stay focus & specialise on your strong point, not Jack of all trade.

‘Divide & Rule’? No, I’m a lover not a fighter. I love to learn & appreciate about different people, their culture, customs, language etc, you are never too old to learn. My intention here? I’m privileged that Km, allows me the pleasure to participate in his forum, free of charge whereas if I were to attend some private motivation talks by high profile speakers, it’ll cost me a fortune. In here, I can sit up & listen without interjection when sage like Apocryphalist & KM impart their wisdom & knowledge. I would not dare to comment on Apocryphalist’s view, else I’ll look so silly, and also I think he’s one that you don’t muck about with. But KM, he’s cool & allow some light banter every now & then to lighten up his sometime heated discussions.

Simpleton like me loves to enjoy the simple thing in life than to dwell on the negatives that consume your life with anger, hatred, suspicions, mistrust etc. Each day, I’m thankful of my blessed life, 3 square meals a day, a roof over my head, clothes to keep me warm & on top of that good health & a happy family too. End of the day, whatever little I had left, I’ll play my little part in society & donate them to some worthy cause.

My favourite instrument is not the violin, if you must know; I love to play with my personal ‘saxophone’, ‘shiok sendiri’ LOL.

You ‘nasty’?, no lah, to me you are just a pin prick.

You asked ‘you bet’, yes I do on the soccer pools, horses & occasionally the greyhounds. These are little excitement left in life for old bloke like me to keep the old ticker pumping.

Anyway to end this, I’m basically a ‘Sensitive New Age Guy’ whereas I think you are more of a ‘Caring Understanding Nineties Type’ of guy. There are nicer & more refine way to ‘belasah’ people.

Cheers,
Unker 'Tommy' Yew.

PS – KM, seriously do you drawl like Nicholas Cage? No wonder all the perempuan falls head over heels for you. Me? I’m more like Hank Moody with a naughty Southern Californication accent ;)

Anonymous said...

Sdr Sadiq ... bermadah

"Saya hendak memberi komen mengenai idea kamu tentang penggunaan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa perantaraan, ia memang baik yg mana menggalakkan semua rakyat Malaysia bercakap bahasa Melayu."

Nampaknya sdr masih mundar mandir di takuk lama.

1) Satu Bahasa.
Sekarang ini tembelang segolongan bukan Bumiputra terdedah sudah. Mereka ini mensabotaj kedaulatan Bahasa Melayu dengan memperjuangkan bahasa asing di papan-papan tanda, dengan berkomunikasi antara bangsa-bangsa menggunakan selain Bahasa Malaysia, dengan tidak memilih sekolah kebangsaan untuk anak-anak mereka dan dengan cemohan-cemohan perkauman. Kini, 50 tahun kemudian, "satu bahasa" belum tercapai.

2) Satu Bangsa.
Orang memberi ... kita merasa kata budaya kita.
Kita sudah memberi --- Apa? Kerayakyatan. Mereka sudah merasa --- nikmat kerayatan bersama ... hak mereka kita tak usik ... kebebasan mereka kita tak sekat. Apa balasan mereka kepada pemberian ini? Hak kita mereka persoalkan. Bahagian kita mereka mahu kurangkan. Mereka tuntut dan tuntut dan tuntut lagi tanpa memberi apa pun kembali.

2a) Asimilasi
Orang berbudi ... kita berbahasa kata budaya kita seterusnya.
Kita sudah berbudi ... terima mereka ... sejiran ... seperjuangan ... kongsi kuasa dan lain seumpamanya. (Bagaimana kalau kita tidak mahu berbudi ketika itu?)
Mereka sudah berbahasa? Sudah? Bagaimana? Mereka celupar dakwa kita pendatang seperti mereka. Mereka derhaka dengan mendakwa Duli Raja-Raja tidak boleh campur tangan hal rakyat, tidak ada hak dan berbagai lagi. Mereka caci Melayu. Mereka Cerca Islam. Itu cara mereka "berbahasa".

Kahalusan "berbahasa" di sini ialah menghormati si pemberi budi. Sebaik-baik "berbahasa" ialah dengan menyerapkan diri kedalam kumpulan majoriti sehingga terhasil Satu Bangsa Malaysia yang berpaksikan kemelayuan. Asimilasi namanya.
Sehingga sekarang ialah segala yang sebaliknya. Mereka menentang sekecil-kecil usaha asimilasi dan tolak Sekolah Wawasan. Mereka hantar anak-anak mereka ke SRJK(C)(T) dan tuntut biaya.

3) Satu Negara.
Ya. Kita kini satu negara pada bungkusan. Pada isi masih Cina Malaysia. Masih Indian Malaysia. Masih macam-macam lagi. Bungkusan ini mereput hampir terburai sekarang.

Sdr. Sadiq, kita tidak lagi di peringkat "menggalakkan semua rakyat Malaysia bercakap bahasa Melayu."

Terima kasih.

p.s. Wahai pemimpin. Rakyat sudah berkata. YB semua dengar?

Anonymous said...

Sadiq,

Saya ingin mempersilakan, terutama pada musim cuti hujung tahun ini, Sadiq sekeluarga, membuat lawatan khas menjelajah merata pelusuk Sabah. "You will feel the magic of the word - BAHASA MALAYSIA, SATU BAHASA SATU BANGSA SATU NEGARA here".

Alhamdulilah, sekarang dengan adanya kemudahan tambang murah, serta jalanraya yang membanggakan, Sadiq akan dapat menembusi kawasan kawasan dalaman dengan lebih selesa. "To see Malaysia is to Love Malaysia". http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/my/

Di Sabah, tidak kira datang dari persekolahan mana, dari kaum ethnic mana, Bahasa Malaysia diguna dengan kejap, pekat, dan meluas sekali.

Anak saya belajar di Tabika Cina, yang dikendalikan oleh sebuah Gereja Katholic, The New Evergreen Kindergarden .Pengetua terdiri dari seorang Rakyat TAIWAN yang begitu fasih dalam Bahasa Malaysia.

Majoriti murid terdiri daripada kaum Cina, mungkin 3% sahaja dari kaum Bumiputra tetapi mereka begitu mesra berinteraksi kerana Bahasa Malaysia diguna sebagai bahasa penghubung diantara anak2 Tabika sini.

Sadiq mungkin akan terpegun betapa tinggi nilainya Bahasa Malaysia digunakan "with pride and ease" di Sabah. Bahasa Inggeris, as means of daily communication, it is of little use here.

WELCOME TO SABAH..

Orang Sungai Segama.

Anonymous said...

Sadiq,

I have a friend who operates a mini zoo here, very small one, but enough to thrill my kids whenever I take them there.

The first thing you will hear when you pass the gate (then we had to pay RM2 per head) will be:

“SELAMAT DATANG, SILA JEMPUT MASUK”. Then with a slight pause “APEK!!.. ADA ORANG CARI APEK ”. Loud and clear in Bahasa Malaysia.

You have to look around, alas, no fancy ladies in kebayas or mini in skirts in sight except for a small black “burung tiong emas” busy welcoming you to the mini zoo.

See, even BIRDS in Sabah can be trained to “speak” Bahasa Malaysia?

ORANG SUNGAI SEGAMA

Anonymous said...

this is in reply to the Timothy Wong who now wishes to be called Tommy Yew... respect has to be earned!

old guy, what took you so long?

had to ask your "ppl" for some help in grammar, did you?

a little improvement is noticeable... but, not that much, though!

here's another freebie for Unker Yew, who wrote, "... In the old days, I’ll be sent to my little corner with a “D” cone shaped hat for being disrespectful to my elders or have 5 of the best with the rotan..."

hey, wait semenet... "in the old days" is in the past, isn't it not?

then why will you be sent to your little corner?

although, more revealingly, you have your own little corner, do you?

however, it's really disconcerting to know that, despite having a little corner to call your very own, you didn't take the time and effort to learn the word dunce hat... which would have come in handy as you wrote that dreadful first paragraph.

and, really... 5 of the best with the rotan?

my, oh, my... what a supreme specimen of an elder Malaysian-Chinese we have in the mortal form of Unker Tommy Yew... there goes the neighbourhood!

but, seriously, he also wrote, "...I don’t know why you are so fascinated with the term ‘multi-tasking’. As far as I know, it’s a buzz word first coined by the ‘kwai-loh’business gurus, later perfected by the chinaman towkays to unscrupulously exploit their staff..."

all I have to say is, by the look of it... NOT that FAR, Unker Tommy/Timothy Wong Yew.

so, go farther... and don't bother coming back with more of your conjectures.

and, speaking of affixations...

did you know that a yew is a small tree with small red berries?

oh, may God have mercy on the little things in Unker Yew's life.

again, lest I forget... Unker Yew, a question is denoted by a question mark which, for your benefit, looks like this: ?

this, however, is called a comma because it looks like this: ,

so, when I wrote, "...you bet, I am," it was a statement and NOT a question!

these are facts and NOT conjectures simply made up by some senile elders whose eyesight might NOT be the only thing that is failing them.

why on earth would a sane person attempt to provide an answer to a statement?

but, then again, only Unker Tom-Timothy Yew knows the answer because he has answers for everything... apparently!

there are times when one should call a spade exactly what it is... a spade!


theBOLDanon

Anonymous said...

addendum... affixations should actually read fixations... guess I missed the first and last letters of the opening tag for a link... never mind.

sorry for the error folks... didn't mean to invent a new word just then.

KijangMas said...

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM) said:-
"a. Do you know today there are more Chinese and Indians and other non Malays who can speak and write Bahasa Malaysia than in the past?"

I would hope so and they better do. In fact, for our sakes, these 3rd-4th generation non-Malays better be able to speak and write Bahasa Malaysia after 51 years of Merdeka. Why do you utter this as if you are "winning a point”? This should be a given, part of the Malaysian social landscape.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)also said:-
"b.Do you know there are not many Malays who can speak Mandarin or Tamil and if we do know of one, the is a reason for their ability."

Of course there are not many “Malays who can speak Mandarin or Tamil.” Why should they? Would Puerto Rican-origin Jennifer Lopez say to David Letterman: “Dave, do you know that more non-Anglos can speak and write English than in the past and do you know how many Anglos can speak Spanish or Yiddish?” It would probably be regarded as an attempt at “being funny” at the show and followed by the obligatory drum roll by Kevin Eubanks’ band.

Listen, your statement reflects your malignant belligerence towards the national language of your country of citizenship by equating Bahasa Malaysia (= Bahasa untuk Rakyat Malaysia. Faham ka?) to the national language of the People’s Republic of China and the state of Tamil Nadu.

Why must your kind concoct a quid pro quo scenario (… "if you want me to speak “Malay” you must also be able to speak Mandarin and Tamil") where Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of YOUR country, becomes a disposable chip on your racist negotiating table? This is the very attitude that blackens your heart and soul and manifested by the DAP Menace and, unless you miraculously repent and reform, would stamp your one-way-ticket out of my Tanah Air.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"c. Do you know most Chinese and Indians who were born in Malaysia do not feel that China or India is their country and would think Malaysian first? Then who always reminded us as Chinese, Indians or others? Look at all application forms to be filled or even our IC."

Ok, then Walk the Talk and behave like you are a real Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang di bentuk dalam arca budaya Melayu dan Berbahasa Malaysia sebagai bahasa ibunda. Once your group achieve this, KijangMas would be the first to fight for the exclusion of race and ethnicity in our birth certs, ICs and application forms.

And if your statement is true, then why you ask question (b) where you inferred the inability of Malays to speak and write in the national language of the People’s Republic of China and the state of Tamil Nadu as a “shortcoming”? Why would a true Anak Bangsa Malaysia even contemplate such an outside-the-tong sampah question? Would a Japanese rhetorically allude the inability of another Japanese to speak Korean and Chinese as something worthy of a “winning point” in a discussion? Blur lah these people.

As for identification of ethnicity on NRICs and application forms, I have the same question. But unlike you, I know the answer. You know why? BECAUSE you and your kind refused to be part of the Anak Bangsa Malaysia yang di bentuk dalam arca budaya Melayu dan Berbahasa Malaysia sebagai bahasa ibunda. By doing so you perpetuated your distinction from the 68% majority Orang Melayu dan Bumiputra Tuan Tanah. Heck, nowadays when you register your child’s birth, many of you insist on a China Pinyin writing convention hence Chong Kow Pow becomes Xiong Guo Bao in the Birth Cert, further reinforcing your modern day ties to a land that you ironically proclaim as not your country.

Reread the last few paragraphs of my post. I had this to say:-

"… stop highlighting our racial differences … Stop talking race at every turn. Indeed, ban racial and ethnic classification and identification! We are Bangsa Malaysia, we speak Bahasa Malaysia. But remember, the Arca of this Bangsa Malaysia is the Orang Melayu, the founding fathers of the nation states dotting this Tanah Melayu plus the pribumis of the Borneo states. This unequivocal identity shall be the solid foundation of our nationhood … a member of the Bangsa Malaysia should speak the national language of the Federation, Bahasa Malaysia, fluently and as a primary language; be fully versed with adat-adat and tatasusila orang Melayu and other Bumiputras of the Federation; demonstrates respect and deference to Islam as the official religion of the Federation and exhibit traits and mannerisms acceptable to the Malays and other Bumiputras. Non-Malay members of this Bangsa Malaysia may speak in their own dialects in private and may practise their own cultures and religions in the private confines of their community. Also, Budaya Malaysia is based on the budaya of the Malays and other Bumiputras of the Federation – in their various representations. And the Education System is based on a single, unified Sekolah Kebangsaan system with Bahasa Malaysia as the primary language of instruction. Later, upon satisfactory cohesion and amalgamation of the Malaysian populace into a truly united Bangsa Malaysia, then by law, ALL references to race and ethnicity in our daily activities should be forbidden. When will we achieve this raceless paradigm? It is in the hands of each and every one of us. The sooner we embrace the above prescriptions, the sooner we will forge this Bangsa Malaysia … Only when we have a truly unified Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one language, amenable to Malaysian cultural norms, and with a cohesive Malaysian mindset will we as a nation be able to look beyond the NEP, beyond Malay privileges, beyond safeguarding Malay Rights as we are now all anak Bangsa Malaysia in the arca of the Malays and other Bumiputras of this blessed land."

Let me ask you: Can YOU do YOUR part in the creation of this race-less Anak Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one voice, Bahasa Malaysia? Will you be able to forego the cancerous affliction of alien foreign languages that binds your mindset in a crippling socio-political game that you will never win?

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"d. If this is so, do you know why we still feel different being a Malaysian yet we do speak BM?"

Why you ask me? Blur again! YOU as a rapidly dwindling minority that cannot even replenish your numbers due to emigration and a low birth rate should seriously ask the very same question to your own faces, or in your case, look at the mirror behind the kopitiam and ask yourself: “Is this alienation tenable? Can we non-Malays continue being 'different' as we stake our claim on this old Tanah Melayu and try to build a life here amidst an Ocean of 300 million Nusantarans in the region?” Your inability to reconcile these issues is the cause of your troubled existence in a land where you are already the 3rd or 4th or in some instance the 10th generation resident.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"e. Do you know why the Chinese blend into the Thai culture so well? As for Indonesia, although they do speak BI but they are still different from the other Indonesians, why? Also, although they have Thai and Indonesian names, do you know there are elements of Chinese names behind their Thai and Indonesian names?

Why more rhetoric to “put down” the Malays and the pribumi Indos?

Of course lah the ethnic-Chinese relatively blended well into Thai culture BECAUSE the ethnic T’ais are ethno-sociologically the Southernmost Cousins of the Chinese race. The T’ai-Kadai Language Group, where standard Thai is just one member, is closely affiliated with the Yunnan region languages and dialects. Then you have religion – or lack of – where again the Thai and Chinese are more closely affiliated.

BUT do you want to know the REAL answer? It’s called socio-engineering Field Marshall Phibun Songkhram style, where the T’ai pribumis were encouraged to take in ethnic-Chinese wives and mistresses, a practice still widespread today. Within a couple of generations, the ethnic-Chinese of Thailand were “bred” out of their Chineseness via these hybridized unions. Hence, a present-day Thai would usually utter: “Oh yes, Khun KijangMas, my mother’s grandmother was Teochew Chinese, my father’s half-mother (whatever that means) was part Hakka, and the rest of me is ‘Thai’ with some Mon blood as well, BUT I am pure Thai.” (BTW, this is a real scenario with a Thai hotel concierge I met in Chiengmai). See, we Malays are nice people. We do not breed our minorities to extinction via enforced or semi-voluntary hybridised unions.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"f. Do you know there is a distinction between the Chinese Thais and Chinese Indonesians? Religion wise."

Where is this question leading to? Another anti-pribumi hate trip? Anyway, what does the Theravada Buddhism of many ethnic-Chinese Thais got to do with YOUR case? Blur again lah kawan-kawan.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"g. Do you know we can unite all races into one single race like Bangsa Malaysia by willing assimilation or by force?"

Listen Ah Kow, the human mind acts rationally. Hence, in my simple rational mind I would ask myself, “if after 51 years of pujuk-pujuk and other soft, civil measures didn’t work, what is the alternative?” More pujuk and give away my pehas after you have consumed my betis?

After 51 years of these soft measures, the DAP Menace have begun erecting Mandarin and Tamil streetsigns. You think the “moral suasion” way works? Of course not. YOU are the embodiment of this failure. Yes, YOU are the monster the Melayu Baik Hati themselves created by being berbudi bahasa dan bersopan santun sambil berpantun seloka to your pendatang ancestors. Yup, WE created YOU, Mandarin-speaking, warts and all. Kita bikin lu jadi ini macam, langsung tak mau hormat sama Bahasa Malaysia dan banyak-banyak tulis pendapat anti-Melayu macam apa yang lu orang bikin sini.

So after 51 years you expect us to continue with the failed approach? You think about it. Lu semua pikir baik-baik. Think rationally.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"h. If we ever managed to unite all races under Bangsa Malaysia, wouldn't it be better if we can utilise the most effective elements that would have less resistance than the other way round?"

Don’t understand this kind of cryptic talk. No lah kawan. After 51 years of failure to shape your kind into some semblance of a domesticated Anak Bangsa Malaysia, other measures must be applied. In fact, it’s for YOUR sake. As for “resistance” it’s up to you. You either resist or accept with the pragmatism that led your ancestors to this shores in the first place.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"i. … For your information I do speak and write BM but do you speak and write Mandarin?"

Again, the pro-People's Republic of China stance here. After coming this far, why did you revert back to your Maoist tendencies? Why?

Oh yes, let me ask, I do speak and write English but do you speak and write Kelantanese? Why not? So you are not up to scratch as Kelantanese is an international language spoken in not only the northeastern part of Malaya (2.2 million people) but also the four southernmost provinces of Thailand (3 million people) plus a diaspora of 4 million people. Like this you are just a cékai guy la, cannot even speak an international language.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"j. Don't you think it would be advantageous to speak and write English under today's economic condition? In fact, it would be wise to speak and write Mandarin for economic reasons, putting race aside."

Haiya, this Chinese Urban Legend concocted and propagated by the DAP Menace makes me want to puke! What “Mandarin for economic reasons” BS are you and your people alluding to?

On one hand you shout that people everywhere are learning English, including in China; on the other hand, you said we need to know Mandarin for economic reasons with China. Blur big time here lah! So the China people want to learn English or not? If they are learning English like you people always said (in order to put down the role of Bahasa Malaysia), then why do we need to learn Mandarin since these China people are fast learning English??? Blur again. So you mean to say soon Malaysians will be talking Mandarin to an English-speaking China businessman?

Ini sudah terbalik tunggang langgang dalam longkang punya logik. Kawan-kawan, that’s why I always say that the minds of the ethnic-Chinese Malaysians have been polluted by the twisted toxic racist waste of the DAP Menace.

Anonymous (November 11, 2008 8:22 PM)said:-
"k. Would you agree that religion should be an individual and a private matter that must not interfere another person's way of life? If we start to impose our religious belief onto other people's way of life, it would only make our objective to achieve Bangsa Malaysia more difficult."

Ahh? Non comprendé Señor. Scusi signore, non parla italiano molto bene. Poco i male.

Who’s talking religion here? Kijangmas very rarely talks about religion in this blog because if KijangMas thinks religiously here, then you and your kind are fair game ...

So apart from a rabid racist anti-Malay persona, the DAP Menace also made you a religious paranoid ahh?


--------------


Anonymous @ bukan org Kelantan (November 12, 2008 6:26 PM ) said:-
“i have to say this piece is nothing but an emotional frustration, most likely developed after a heated argument with the writer's spouse ... the rest, i believe, sounded more like a child wanting to prove something to the parents after a told-off session with a cane stick.”

Ha ha ha. KijangMas is not going to hantam this pathetic little product of inbreeding due to the small gene pool that survived the tongkang trip to Malaya.

This creature is beyond redemption. Anyway, he/she got guts and I find his/her ranting quite hilarious.

Good luck to you, the self-proclaimed “bukan orang Kelantan” (... in a way it figures). Make sure you attend your TAR College classes and do go easy on your purchase of term papers done by others.


----------------


Pink Shades (November 13, 2008 8:10 PM) said:-
“… I notice that a lot of commenters obviously did not bother to read your post and subsequent comments properly before jumping into the comments fray and asking things you’ve already explained over and over again … May I suggest that for this particular topic, you turn it into a book in pdf file and make it available online for FREE? Extract all the common themes of the information that have been presented (from your post and subsequent replies to commenters), and rearrange them into a logical flow across the whole text (whilst maintaining your writing style of course!) And have your paragraphs numbered so that they can be referred to easily. Handy when replying to ignorant commenters who blindly jump in to give their 2 sen … Your messages are so profound and important that I feel it’s worth making the effort to turn it into a book. If not in hardcopy then a pdf version is good enough. I’m certain it will create a big impact on this generation and the ones to come.”


Pink Shades, thanks for the suggestion. Yes, compiling this post and the subsequent replies in the Comment section into some sort of e-Book is a good idea. I will explore this option.


------------


BrightEyes said:-
“For info, when my multiracial friends & I meet up, the lingua-franca we use is English. Most of us were educated in SK schools, and only BM is used when people with low English proficiency is in our circle. This also happens to be my observation when noticing other multiracial groups.”

Yes, this applies to some of my social groups as well, e.g., when I’m with my friend, “Robin.” But mind you this is not representative of Malaysia. The English/Manglish speaking trans-ethnic social groups are just but a tiny minority in this country, restricted only to the affluent parts of the Klang Valley and Penang and JB and a smattering of urban centers dotting the West Coast of the peninsular and perhaps Kuching and KK.

As for the rest? The lingua franca is either the regional Malay dialects – Kelantanese, Kedahan, Trengganuan – or an eclectic mix of pidgin or creole Malay, the various Bahasa Pasars prevalent from Kuala Perlis to Tawau, with a liberal sprinkling of basic English terms and, in areas with high minority presence, the obligatory Cantonese and Tamil curse word or two.

The policymakers will need to actively synthesize this Bahasa Pasar “Malay Base” into the standardized form of Bahasa Malaysia. As a start, competent speakers of standard Bahasa Malaysia should refrain from “stepping down” to “Bazaar Malay” when they converse with the assortment of Ah Peks and Ayyas on the street. This is another uniquely Malaysian phenomenon, where perfectly fine Bahasa Malaysia speakers would recalibrate their patois to the Bahasa Pasar of the less competent speakers. Hence, the language as a trans-ethnic lingua franca will never evolve beyond the basic, rudimentary utterances of the Ah Peks and ah Sohs.

Would an American dilute her English to a Speedy Gonzalez twang when she communicate with a Mexican migrant worker? Of course not. She would probably bellow “speak proper English will ya” to the campesino.

In Thailand, there are at least five major regional dialects that are almost mutually unintelligible. A Lanna-T’ai speaking Chiang Rai guy would just stare blankly at the multi-tonal Malay-influenced Pak T’ai speaker from Songkhla (Singgora). Hence the Thai government’s almost maniacal stress on the gold-standard lower Chao Phraya or Krung Thep (Bangkok) T’ai in all official discourses and the media, where the “Standard Bangkok Thai” is elevated and deified as the language of culture, sophistication, wealth and intellect. The newscasters are no less than “poets in makeups” with their perfect diction and elocution. Same thing on Indonesian TV, where the presenters speak with an air of authority built on confidence in the supremacy of their Bahasa Indonesia.

Anyway, let me stress again that your own urbane Starbucks-centric Manglish-speaking social group is not representative of the 27.5 million people dotting this land. When we talk about national policies affecting the Rakyat -– not least the language of our land -- we must look beyond The Curve, beyond Bintang Walk, and extend our socio-vista to the real essence of Malaysiana, from Pontian to Kemaman to Limbang to Sebatik.

Anonymous said...

Demi Negara
Satu hujah yang amat agresif namun perlu diambil iktibar. Saya bukanlah seorang politikus. Peniaga pun bukan. Saya hanyalah seorang warganegara Malaysia yang berbangga menjadi anak Malaysia, lahir di Malaysia dan bertutur dalam bahasa kebangsaan kita - bahasa Melayu. Saya sedih melihat bangsa Melayu sahaja yang sering diwar-warkan sebagai bersifat perkauman. Saya juga sedih melihat orang Melayu sendiri tidak mahu dan mampu bertutur dalam bahasa Melayu dengan baik padahal ibu bapanya, keluarganya berbangsa Melayu. Mungkin mereka ini terlebih makan keju dalam diet mereka sehingga berasa malu untuk menjamah belacan, budu, cincalok atau tempoyak yang sudah menjadi lumrah dalam hidangan orang2 Melayu. Mereka yang sanggup bersekongkol dengan orang2 bukan Melayu untuk memusnahkan kesejahteraan dan keamanan bumi tercinta ini - Malaysia. Siapakah yang bersalah sebenarnya??? Layakkah mereka ini mengaku yang diri mereka rakyat Malaysia?? Apakah sebenarnya yang dimaksudkan dengan adil seadilnya. Sedangkan keAdilan yang adil pun sebenarnya tidak adil. Hanya Allah sahaja yang Maha Adil.

sela, kedah

Anonymous said...

Dear Demi Negara, since you do not intend to publish my comment, I will write down all my opinion here. Initially I refrain to do so because it might be quite sensitive and offensive to Malay community. So keep this comment to yourself.

For your information, in USA English is only a de-facto language not the official one, despite the non-official status, English is widely use (including minority) simply because its dominant status; the same goes to the White’s culture (majority group), the minorities are willing to adopt and learn their culture due to its dominant status.

As a fact of nature, strong culture will always dominate the weaker one.

Let’s compare apple to apple, does the Malay culture and its language having the same dominant status against minority groups like the Whites in USA? I believe the answer is no.

But non-Malays know that Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, they can accept this fact and therefore they learn this language. By learning this language, they can communicate and understand their Malay counterparts, understand the feeling of the Malays toward this great country and able to share the same patriotism.

But do the Malays understand non-Malays? I doubt it, what I often see are the Malays generalizing non-Malays and often over-highlighting their weaknesses.

This is the comment by Michael Backman, an internationally renowned writer and columnist:

'Malaysian Chinese have done everything that has been required of them, they have accepted the NEP and its successor policies. They define themselves as Malaysians first and foremost and are among the proudest Malaysians. They have learned Malay.'

My two cent opinion, the obligation for non-Malay towards the national language is, to learn it and understand it. To force them to speak Bahasa in the press conference or in their everyday life is, sudah lebih lar tu...

I, for example will speak Bahasa with my Malay friends or in the government department. My question is, are those Bahasa 'enforcer' (in Malaysia we have religion 'enforcer' and now language 'enforcer') want to see the non-Malays to throw away their own mother language and speak Bahasa to their family and community?

Sometimes non-Malay do not speak Bahasa in conference or in their everyday life do not mean they are not patriotic or do not respect the status of Bahasa.

I believe Bangsa Malaysia should start from the heart and willingness of each Malaysian, no force could be apply in this noble concept. It should build on the respect, toleration and mutual understanding.

I work in a non-profit organization before, my colleague consists of people from different ethnic background. In this small community, no fix language being used, what we have is the 'lojak' of different languages mixed together. Amazingly we all can work very well, I believe it was the mutual vision/task (doing social work) that successfully binds us together, language in particular is not a barrier at all.

My understanding of Bangsa Malaysia is the one like my experience in the non-profit organization, and I believe it should also been ‘build-up’ towards this direction.

Anonymous said...

Soldadu of November 7, 2008 2:34 AM

In your restaurant analogy you conveniently left out your role.

Before the Pakistani becomes the headwaiter, YOU are trusted as the headwaiter, but still a worker nevertheless. YOU NEVER was the owner. Not even a part-owner. May be you can be one when you get youself married into the family.

We doubt this is a possibility. Your attitude problem vis-a-vis the owner makes it a steep slope indeed to climb.

Yes any restaurant caters for its customer. But who decides what to list down (or what not to) in the menu? Workers don't have any say in it. Sadly, the flow your arguments suggest "you fancy yourself occupying the owner's chair", imagining yourself handing out memos (to the real owner) telling him what and how to do this and that. No wander you left out your role while chriticizing every steps taken by the Tuan Tanah (oops tuan restaurant).

Your day dreaming will never be converted into anybody's nightmare. The 'Bintang Tiga' played out this dream not too long ago .. around 1945. It was a living nightmare for the Tuan Tanah.

Wounds heal with time. Scars stay for life. We are struggling to conceal these wounds. You playfully touches these sensitive scars. This role-play should be acted in total-reverse.

Anonymous said...

ngnglee said... November 22, 2008 10:19 PM

“……. understand the feeling of the Malays toward this great country and able to share the same patriotism.

But do the Malays understand non-Malays? I doubt it, what I often see are the Malays generalizing non-Malays and often over-highlighting their weaknesses.”


Do you? Do you really understand the feelings of the Malays? Despite the fact you hinted of your superiority, being ‘superior’, do you really understand the feelings of the Malays? And now you shamelessly claim ‘to share the same patriotism’?

Halooooo kawan. If you understand the Malays as claimed, would we (yes, you and me) be on the opposite ends of the every pole now? Would we sing different songs now? If you understand the feeling of the Malays, please tell me what are these? What is meant by:-

1) "Orang memberi kita merasa. Orang berbudi kita berbahasa"?

2) "Di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung"?

Tell us. We Malaysians would like to know.

As to your claim to share the same patriotism... No wander there are as many Chinese as there are Malays in the army. No wander the Chinese out-number any Bumis in the police force.

“But do the Malays understand non-Malays?” Oh yes. In fact from the day your forefathers set foot on our shores, we suspected that you nurture this sick attitude towards us.

“The Emergency of 1948-1960 generated even greater suspicion against the Chinese community because the movement was directed by the Communists who were largely Chinese.” (Excerpt from http://test.chedet.com/che_det/2008/11/siew-sin-on-sino-malay-relatio.html#more)
This one tells on you, right?

When the British, as expounded by Tan Siew Sin thus, “"This fear," Siew Sin said, "led the British to a policy of restricting citizenship rights for the Chinese as they felt that it would be dangerous for too many of them to become citizens....The result was that only about 200,000 Chinese had managed to become citizens out of a total of more than two million then resident in the former Federation of Malaya". (Excerpt from http://test.chedet.com/che_det/2008/11/siew-sin-on-sino-malay-relatio.html#more)
The Malays can’t be helped but to be suspicious.

When we lost Singapore we need no further proof of what or who you are.

We expect schools of vultures to appear in the sky when a lame fawn missed its mother.

Sure enough, half a century later, the 12thGE was read as a fatal injury inflicted upon the Malays. Vultures and piranhas enact their vampire dance orchestrated by a chameleon.

This memanda must stop for now, for fear of being chided by his master as being too presumptuous.

Thank you. Lets shake on it. Friends?

Anonymous said...

They are doing it back to the one who 'shipped' them to this blessed land..UK(last night Buletin Utama)..smuggling their people to UK. GASP!!!..concocting some sweet revenge, eh?
(Apa pasal la diorang nih suka sangat sangat buat keje haram...ooo lupa plak...tuhan diorang(duit) takde istilah halal haram.janji balun)

Anonymous said...

"Only when we have a truly unified Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one language, amenable to Malaysian cultural norms, and with a cohesive Malaysian mindset will we as a nation be able to look beyond the NEP, beyond Malay privileges, beyond safeguarding Malay Rights as we are now all anak Bangsa Malaysia in the arca of the Malays and other Bumiputras of this blessed land."

well said, i agree with u..if we are not to be divided by race and language why is there such thing as a bumiputra status and all those perks and privilege that comes with it??

i come from a family of government servants including some who served in the police and armed forces in the 60s and early 70s..i use to ask my uncles why is there so few chinese in the force now?one of them said things are not as simple as it seems..now these are the people who participated and witness the transform of a new nation so full of hope and potential into one that is now so racially divided and run with biased policies..to them we've been in a downhill slide since 1969..

the nep has bred a set of unwritten rules in all our government bodies..ask anyone who is in the sports, education, or armed forces..there is an unwritten norm..i graduated from a local uni..some of us chinese wanted to continue our masters and phd degrees at the uni..we just wanted to contribute..but when we told our malay professors about it he discourage us saying u chinese should just go and leave the uni while let the malays stay and be lecturers..imagine how we felt at that time..

my parents are government servants and my mom was once not allowed to participate in a formal function coz shes wearing cheongsam..but her friends in saris and baju kurung were ok..

imagine living with these things day in day out..thats a typical life of a nonbumi..u'll never know one of these things will pop up..i was involved in minor car accident lately and when i reported it the first thing the police officer asked me is "yang langgar awak tu cina ke melayu?"..it was a very disturbing question..for a moment i thought i was in a foreign country..

if that chinese can be assimilated in thailand, indonesia and Philippines it can done in malaysia too..the difference is in those countries it was not assimilation..it was fair integration..they were given fair rights as first class citizens..just look at the anti-racial law recently passed in indonesia..

i have many malay friends while in secondary school but after spm i faced the reality of the nep and the dreaded kuota system..and more so in uni..well people changed cos things changed..

tapi kalau dengar suara saja i cakap melayu memang orang tak akan tahu saya ni cina..kita lihat saja komen komen kat blog ini..ada yang benci sangat dengan kaum saya..saya harap kawan kawan melayu paham yang cina ni dia tak puashati dengan sesetengah polisi kerajaan..bukan tak puas hati dengan negara kita atau orang melayu..

pasal bahasa ni memang saya sokong matematik dan sains diajar dalam bahasa ibunda..mat salleh kat rusia perancis sweden belanda dan seluruh tak belajar sains dalam ingeris..mamat jepun korea india china tak belajar dalam ingeris..memang lebih senang untuk paham matematik dan sains jika diajar dalam bahasa ibunda..ini bukan cakap saya tapi cakap ahli akedamik dari PBB beberapa tahun dahulu..kalau bahasa ingeris lemah ajar lebih bahasa itu..bukan dengan cara lain..jangan jangan satu hari nanti ajar sejarah pulak dia nak pakai ingeris..

ni pulak ramai kawan melayu i yang suka cakap ingeris..bila i cakap dengan bahasa melayu dia orang jawab dengan ingeris..nampaknya tak senang kita nak tetapkan status bahasa kita..lebih baik tak kira apa kaum kita kuatkan diri kita, kebolehan kita, ilmu kita, dan perkasakan negara kita baik dengan apa apa cara..kalau kita maju dan kuat secara langsung bahasa kita akan dimertabatkan..kalau tidak bertapa kuat kita melaung-laung pun tak sampai ke mana..

peace

Anonymous said...

November 23, 2008 7:58 PM - Anonymous said...

“… i come from a family of government servants including some who served in the police and armed forces in the 60s and early 70s”.

Hai. Malaysia’s peace and stability owes in part to its citizen like you and your family members. By being a member of the police or armed forces, one’s prime age of one’s life is sacrificed for the motherland. And they are paid peanuts for their much needed services. Seldom one becomes rich by serving in the army. Like water, a must have item in life, the worth of these patriotic souls are often taken for granted. I salute your family’s contribution my friend. But when your uncle answered thus, did you in all fairness, asked him who made in complicated, him or the system? If the system is at fault, let’s contribute with what we can to make it better.

We do whole heartedly sympathize with you concerning your masters or phd degrees. I think the implementation of rather than the quota system is to be faulted. Limited place complicates competition. To be fair all around, the Chinese competes against the Chinese, the Malays against the Malays and so on depending on the number of applicants in each group. So if one looses out, its against his own kind in his group, never against the other. Further, if there’s no taker in one particular group, that surplus ‘place’ is automatically snapped up by whomever in the waiting list. They do this in the housing quota system for Bumis lots too. Honestly, the Government should seriously look into this so that such grouses as yours are properly attended to.

You talked about assimilation in Thailand and Indonesia. They practiced and is still practicing institutionalized assimilation there. Their citizens are made to assimilate by force. They are not allowed even to keep their Chinese names. May be now they relaxed the implementation a bit.

We here prefer a more friendly and indirect approach and leave it to intelligent choice for the future of our children.

By the look of it, our brothers are more selfish than intelligent. We have moved to no where after 50 years. In fact we moving backwards.

Yap. Our beloved land sure needs more of you. Balanced. Rational. BM saudara lebih baik dari BI saudara. Lebih selesa berbicara dengan saudara dari yang pernah saya alami di sini.

Kita tiada cara lain melainkan menyokong saudara sebagaimana saudara katakana di perenggan akhir penulisan saudara.

Begitulah saya akhiri perenggan saya dengan meminjam akhir kata saudara, “lebih baik tak kira apa kaum kita kuatkan diri kita, kebolehan kita, ilmu kita, dan perkasakan negara kita baik dengan apa apa cara..kalau kita maju dan kuat secara langsung bahasa kita akan dimertabatkan..kalau tidak bertapa kuat kita melaung-laung pun tak sampai ke mana..”

Demi Negara Tercinta. Selamat berjuang.

Sampai jumpa lagi.

Anonymous said...

KijangMas said:
"Anyway, let me stress again that your own urbane Starbucks-centric Manglish-speaking social group is not representative of the 27.5 million people dotting this land."

They are all acting only lah. My occasional visits to Satay House London would sometimes bumped me into these same Starbucks-centric Manglish-speaking groups who would always be speaking (read:shouting) to one another of their kind in Mandarin, being totally oblivious to the other diners who are trying to enjoy the Malaysian cuisine in the warm and cosy environment. I guess it's true what people say about them:- you can take a Cina out of a Bukit but you can never take a Bukit out of a Cina.

Anonymous said...

Bro,

Congratulations. You have put in word as eloquently as anyone can, what I have been rehearsing in my head for a long time every time I come across a fellow Malaysian – be s/he Malay, Indian, or Chinese – who dares to mouth the words Malaysian Malaysia, discrimination, multi-racialism, etc. As you have so rightly put it, multi-racialism can only exist within the context of one nation, and a nation CANNOT be held together by a foreign tongue, i.e. English, even if it is the world’s lingua franca, or by many people tugging in many directions. Never mind what noises are issuing from across the Bridge.

It is always the Malays, the Malays, the Malays. The Indians and Chinese are faultless. Have you noticed that? It is now open season for Malay baiting by the media (when they can, especially the Chinese chauvinist papers. Why is it called The Sun when it is Shit and the Star when it is Stark?; by non-Malay politicians when they can; and by those so-called liberal democrats at large (largely non-Malays and some sheeple Malays) whenever they can, at every opportunity, at home or in foreign lands. Yet, who is a Malay, and where is Malaysia?

Let’s look at the poison that has been issuing from that dot across the Bridge, from where many provocative slogans have originated, take ‘Malaysian Malaysia’, for instance, though now I note that it is Bangsa Malaysia, with meaning uncertain, direction unspecified, nature undefined. But a useful slogan to obfuscate the Malay into submission whenever they raise issues such as the National Language, etc. Even our poor dear intelligent Malays have been put on the defensive. Just look at Rocky’s Bru that speaks mainly to the non-Malay constituency and ever eager to seek their applause whenver he jumps the hoop, on issues of ‘democracy’, human rights (ah, that one-sided poison), and freedom to do things that in the past would be looked upon as mainly subversive against our Malaysian nation. Let’s look at the recent case of Pulau Batu Putih. In any normal nation, that would have rallied the people under one flag vis-a-vis a foreign claimant (and we have many strong grounds for the claim, never mind the incompetence of our Government), but it became stylish to take the Singapore argument because that seemed to be the ‘liberal’ position and ha-ha-ha the Malaysian government and their bungling claims over a little island!

But let’s leave that for another forum, this subversion of our political minds by the little dot at the end of the Bridge...

For now I want to look at the Malays. All manner of mischief are being concocted in that little Dot (they operate like Israelis, remember? And they believe in ‘sayanim’ operations). First came a study in one of their hallowed (hollowed?) institutions that purports to say that Malays do not exist. They say even the Sejarah Melayu is just a little tale about a place called Malayu somewhere among those myriad islands. Er, have they actually read the Sejarah? Now, they say – rightly or wrongly, that Malays are actually a construct of many other people – Bugis, Sumatrans, Javanese, Babas and Nyonyas, etc. Well, they didn’t add the latter, but I have. Heck, even in that little Dot they have already broken down what used to be an inclusive term Malay (including even, and why not?, sarong-wearing, Malay speaking Mamaks) into those little components, Bawean, Bugis, etc. In other words, Malays don’t exist. Now, this smacks of something we’ve heard before, doesn’t it? A man with a little moustache that used to speak of eugenics, and a nation of one pure master race. But hey man, didn’t the so-called supre-intelligent Prime Minister of that Lottle Dot beyond the Bridge once speak of eugenics in their Little Island Nation?

No, no, let’s not digress. Let’s look at the Malays under their dissection, and for what purpose? The latter question I shall leave for another discussion (if you’ll allow me) but for now, let’s go further. Ha-ha-ha, they say (you’ve probably received something in this tone in one of those poison notes that sayanim operators of this Little Dot at the end of Bridge land has put in the comments section of your blog, web-page, mailbox, etc. My friend who is a blogger days he takes great joy looking into their twisted minds and then consigning the garbage into (1) the electronic bin, (2) a folder he’s marked ‘Fascists’. The Malay language is a Lego language, they say. The subtext of this is not that it is useless (is so, then English would be uselsss, would it not? It’s just an admixture of the language of the Angles and the Saxons and Latin and Greek and Hindi and Chinese and, surprise-surprise, Malay, and any other language that you can think of on this little blessed earth. Well, even Hebrew and Yiddish, of course, just in case those little Dot people protest that I have left out their role models). And as for Italian and French languages, pah, humbug! They’re just dialects of Latin!

I’d just like to address their argument here becasue you’ve touched so poignantly on Malays, the Malaysian language and the Malaysian nation. If, as they say, Malays are just a conglomeration of many races or tribes or Johnny come latelys or whatever else they may perceive under their powerful magnifying glass of racial colours and tones – they need that, because the opposite of what they are saying can only be: “You’re unlike us, we’re a pure race”), then heck, wouldn’t Malay be the most suitable core people for a land called Malaysia, and a model for its future development? Doesn’t that make Malay, as a racial group, or a culture, if you like, so magnanimous and so imbued with nobility that it can take in all comers and absorb them all as one? We can’t have a melange of rojaks as the Bangsa Malaysia people can we, as you so eloquently argue above, with one speaking Mandarin, another speaking Tamil, and another Swahili or Inuit perhaps?

And now the Malay language: if, as they say (and Malays do not deny this) that it is constructed from many languages – Sanskrit, Javanese, Sumatran, and what have you. Well, let’s turn their argument on its head: wouldn’t that be a perfect language for a polyglot Malaysian nation? The genius of the Malays is that they are able to absorb many people and shape them all into one cohesive ‘race’. Is that good or bad? Well, not so if you’re an upholder of eugenics. And if the Malay language is already a home for many other languages collected together under a viable grammatical and cultural system, well, bully to that we’ll say. Let’s use that as the unifying language of Malaysia that we can be proud of (Chinese, Indians, Malays and Others – remember ‘Others’? Whatever’s happend to them?). Er, sorry, Malay is the National Language oredy lah, but you forgot one!

I’ll stop there for the time being. I’ll be back if you’ll allow me. In the meantime, well done Bro, you I salute!

And meantime, read this book also, “The Chinese Dilemma,” by Ye Lin-Sheng; published by East West Editions, Australia, ISBN 0-9751646-1-9

Anonymous said...

Saya adalah seorang warga Malaysia berketurunan Cina. Saya belajar di sekolah kebangsaan and pernah mempunyai ramai kawan berbangsa India dan Melayu.

Ketika di Tingkatan 5, ramai rakan-rakan Melayu saya di kelas sibuk mengisi borang untuk ke Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM). Saya tidak faham mengapa saya tidak mendapat borang permohonan ke MRSM, ataupun mengapa saya diberitahu bahawa saya tidak layak untuk memohon.

Keluarga saya bukannya kaya. Bapa saya bekerja siang dan malam, menunggang motorsikalnya lebih daripada 100 kilometer setiap hari untuk lebih 30 tahun lamanya demi memastikan adanya makanan di meja makan di rumah.

Saya hanya mempunyai sepasang baju unifom sekolah. Adik saya pula ada memakai baju "second hand" saya. Kami bergantung kepada buku teks SPBT setiap tahun persekolahan. Saya berjalan kaki ke sekolah setiap hari.

Setelah selesainya SPM, baki rakan-rakan Melayu saya di sekolah semuanya masuk Matrikulasi. Semenjak itu, saya sedar bahawa tidak kira betapa setianya saya kepada tanahair tercinta, ataupun betapa petahnya saya menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan, saya tetap tidak akan mendapat layanan yang adil di negara saya sendiri.

"Tidak apalah", saya beritahu diri saya. Saya terus berusaha demi masa depan diri saya sendiri. Namun, cinta saya kepada negara tetap di hati. Setiap hari Merdeka, bendera Jalur Gemilang akan berkibar di rumah saya. Saya sendiri telah menyertai perbarisan beberapa kali di hari kebangsaan di Kuala Lumpur dan juga Putrajaya.

Apabila saya mula bekerja, saya diberitahu bahawa "it is OK if the Malays are not hardworking, the Government will help them". Apa tidaknya, pelbagai skim amanah saham PNB diberikan. Saham syarikat-syarikat milik kaum Cina yang telah diusahakan sekian lama dihulurkan sahaja kepada kaum Melayu. Beli rumah pun ada diskaun 7%.

Saya tidak marah kepada sesiapa. Kaum Melayu masih tetap rakan baik saya. Sungguhpun saya diberi peringatan bahawa saya hanyalah kaum pendatang, Malaysia masih tempat tumpahnya darah saya.

Namun begitu, saya berasa kurang senang di hati. Saya bekerja kuat, dan saya membayar cukai yang banyak. Kenapa pula biasiswa untuk menghantar anak-anak watan ke luar negara diberikan kepada kaum yang tertentu sahaja? Apakah saya tidak menyumbang kepada pembangunan negara? Mengapa mereka yang betul-betul memerlukan bantuan pelajaran dan mereka yang patut diberikan biasiswa tidak dibantu?

Beberapa tahun yang lepas, saya berjaya mendapat biasiswa untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ke luar negara. Biasiswa ini diberikan oleh kerajaan asing yang mengamalkan dasar meritokrasi penuh dan tidak mendiskriminasi saya hanya kerana saya orang berbangsa Cina.

Apabila berada di luar negara, saya terserempak dengan banyak pelajar-pelajar Melayu yang dibiayai oleh Kerajaan Malaysia menggunakan wang cukai saya. Kalaulah mereka rajin belajar dan sanggup pulang ke tanahair setelah tamat pengajian, saya akan berasa gembira dan bangga dengan mereka. Namun, pengamatan saya amatlah mengecewakan. Berjuta-juta wang cukai rakyat (90% cukai dibayar oleh kaum saya) telah dibazirkan ke atas mereka yang tidak tahu menghargainya.

Ada yang mengatakan bahawa ramai daripada kaum saya tidak fasih berbahasa Melayu. Saya percaya bahawa saya terkecuali daripada golongan yang dimaksudkan. Namun, apa gunanya kalau fasih berbahasa kebangsaan? Apakah saya akan diberi peluang yang sama rata jikalau bekerja di agensi kerajaan? Apakah saya boleh membeli Amanah Saham Bumiputera? Ataupun ditawarkan biasiswa daripada Petronas? Jadi, mengapa tidak pula soalannya berbunyi buat apa perlunya kaum bukan Melayu fasih berbahasa Melayu?

Cukuplah. Pada pendapat saya, integrasi nasional yang sempurna perlu bermula daripada pemikiran orang Melayu sendiri. Selagi orang Melayu berasa bahawa mereka adalah tuan punya Malaysia dan yang lain hanyalah pendatang dan tidak perlu dilayan dengan adil dan saksama, selagi itulah negara kita tidak akan bersatu padu.

Setelah semuanya dilayan dengan adil, maka segala masalah yang lain akan dapat diselesaikan dengan sendirinya.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous November 24, 2008 10:41 AM kata

“Ketika di Tingkatan 5, ramai rakan-rakan Melayu saya di kelas sibuk mengisi borang untuk ke Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM)”

Wah panjang rekaan si Shalom ni.

Cakap siang pandang-pandang. Cakap malam dengar-dengar. Kalau dah bontot penuh tahi. Bau dah melantung. Tak ada pun orang tanya. Tiba-tiba kau kata “bukan aku yang terberak”. Tak ada siapa perlu jawab. Tutup hidung saja. Kalau nak bohong tu belajarlah dulu pencak silatnya.

Hey kawan. Tak lakulah koyok kau. Kencing. Dah tingkatan 5 nak turun ke tingkatan satu? Isi boring MSRM waktu Darjah 6 lah. Kau isi boring waktu bila? Tingkatan 5? Saya ulang. ISI BORANG MRSM WAKTU DARJAH 6 LAH. Masuk MSRM Tingkatan Satu lah ngok. Siapa sebodoh kau, nak layan permintaan bodoh, dah di tingkatan 5 nak turun ke tingkataan satu.

Saudara-saudara sekelian. Tengok kawan kita jenis totok belukang bukit ni. Nasib dan hidup mati dia ... dia sendiri yang ukir bentuk ... orang lain disalahkan.

Dari dulu lagi, Melayu Mekayu Melayu. Salah salah salah. Cina Indian tak pernah salah. (Muslimin cerita pasal Islam sesama Muslimin pun Hindu Sangam salahkan.)

Kesalahan paling besar Melayu lakukan, DOSA paling tak boleh dimaafkan ... tak dapat nak TAUBAT pun ialah MEMBERI MEREKA jenis belukang totok bukit ini KERAKYATAAN PERCUMA 50 takun dahulu.

Hoi longkang. Bawak sini MyKad ko tu. Aku nak kasi kat Indon. Paling kurang dia tak terberak dalam seluar macam kau. Kau, ya kau. Buat tak tau plak.

Balik kepada si pembohong ni.

Waktu darjah 6 dulu kau di mana? Kau waktu itu memencil diri di mana? Waktu itu bapak kau kata Sekolah Kebangsaan tak bagus kan? Waktu itu kau di SRJK(C) kan? Waktu tu cik gu kau tak beri boring kpd kau kan? Mereka sorok boring kan? Mereka chauvenis Cina kan? Mereka anti-Melayu kan? Mereka tak peduli nasib masa hadapan kau kan?

Apa? Tolong ulang? Tanya bapa kau dulu? Tak tau? Abis tu kenapa buka mulut tembak sana tembak sini. Salahkan bapa kau. Sekarang kau tahu kan?

Cerita lain dalam cerita rekaan kamu di atas sudah banyak dijelaskan dalam 14 pelajaran dalam kitab KijangMas ini. Bacalah di sana.

Walau bagaimana pun, berkunjunglah lagi. Tapi bawalah buah tangan yang baik, yang boleh kita bincangkan dengan waras. Kalau kau bawa senapang patah, tak kan kita sambut dengan bunga manggar. Lain kali bawalah kompang ke, jidur ke, kuda kepang ke, barongan ke. Kamu bakar mercun ... bising sangat, lagi pun hantu Melayu ni tak boleh dihalau dengan mercun.

Anonymous said...

Anonoymous 10:41,

1. 90% cukai dibayar oleh kaum Cina?

Betul kah? Jadi adakah kaum melayu, india dan lain-lain membayar hanya 10% cukai pendapatan?

Sila beri bukit kukuh sebelum anda membuat andaian yang tidak munasabah seperti ini.

Jikalau tidak, ia hanya membuktikan kebodohan anda sebelum memberikan Hujah.

2. Hujah anda mengatakan "buat apa saya hendak berbahasa melayu di Tanah Air ini sedangkan semua keistimewaan saya tidak berhak"

Jawapan saya : BUAT APA ANDA BERADA DI NEGERA INI LAGI KALAU ANDA SUDAH MENGANGGAP KAUM ANDALAH YANG MEMBAYAR 90% CUKAI NEGARA DAN DITINDAS SEBEGINI RUPA?

KENAPA TIDAK BERHIJRAH SAHAJA DI DUBAI DIMANA ANDA TIDAK PERLU MEMBAYAR CUKAI PENDAPATAN?

TAPI CUBALAH BERBAHASA CINA DISANA DAN MENAMPAL PAPANTANDA BAHASA ANDA DISANA.

SEMEMANGNYA KAUM ANDA BERTUHANKAN WANG SEMATA-MATA.

ANDA MENGATAKAN TIADA GUNANYA BERBAHASA MELAYU KERANA BUKANNYA DAPAT BEKERJA DIAGENSI KERAJAAN.

SAYA BERKATA : TIADA GUNANYA SAYA BERBAHASA MANDARIN KERANA BUKANNYA SAYA DAPAT BERKERJA DISYARIKAT2 SWASTA DI PAPAN UTAMA KLSE YANG DIMONOPOLIKAN OLEH KAUM CINA SEMATA-MATA KERANA SAYA BUKAN ORANG CINA WALAUPUN SAYA BERKEBOLEHAN.

DAN BENARKAH ANDA INGIN BERKERJA DENGAN AGENSI KERAJAAN SEDANGKAN PENAMBAHAN KUOTA BUKAN BUMIPUTERA MRSM PUN TIDAK MENDAPAT SAMBUTAN?

Sheeeesh.....You have clearly reflected your races' typical "what's in it for me" mentality.

Anonymous said...

Deminegara

I have to agree on some of your points and you read the people well.

Can I please share some suggestions with you?:

1. Maybe u can consider shortening the length of your post - your long post can be divided into 3 - 4 shorter posts, then you have more things to put up and can be spread over a few days.. more interest and easy to read la...

2. Your post can serve as double edge sword - I am a non-Muslim, non-Malay and I have to say that some of your points are valid and close to our hearts especially on the language. I have to admit I regret BM is not widely used and we are divided because we don't have one common language. But shouldn't this be something that we should lobby? I think your points would appeal to the non-Chinese/ Tamil educated non-Malays because we are moderate citizens who are tolerant of such ideology. Imagine if the Min of Education now say that all children will have to take up a 3rd language in school (the end objective is so that this kid can speak/ read/ write) in their 11 years of schooling, then we can have Malay speaking/ reading/ writing in perhaps Chinese, Tamil and this can narrow the divide that we have now. As a non-Malay, the only thing that interest me, if I decide to send my kids to Tamil/ Chinese school is so that they can read/ write in their mother-tongue. If the Sekolah Kebangsaan can do this, I will have no qualms of doing do.

3. Bukan semua org Melayu sahaja yang boleh bertutur and menulis dgn baik dalam Bahasa Melaysia. Malah, org bukan Melayu pun boleh berbuat demikian. Tetapi yang sedihnya ialah, demi mencari wang yang diperlukan utk hidup dalam dunia korporat ini, kita semua lupa apa yang diajar oleh guru Bahasa Melayu kami di sekolah. Apa tidaknya, pengurus and pengarah kami tidak akan teruja jika repot kami ditulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Mereka juga tidak akan memberi kita peluang jika kita membazirkan masa mereka dgn bahasa yg perlu ditraduksikan sebelum boleh dihantar kpd pejabat HQ di luar negara.

So DemiNegara, can you accept that there are moderate ppl like me out here... ? These moderate ppl are waiting for other moderate ppl to accept them...

Anonymous said...

Dear Tam Dalyell, yes I understand your patriotism towards the country. I am also understood why you are quite emotional and 'offensive' to Malaysian Chinese here in this page, I mean those who have posted thing that against your interest.

You said 'If you understand the Malays as claimed, would we be on the opposite ends of the every pole now.'

I understand you but that doesn’t necessarily means I must stand by your side.

For me all your thoughts and arguments are strongly 'rooted' in your own communal interest and consideration, this is something that I will avoid to do so.

And please don’t misunderstand, I do not stand by you not because I’m a Malaysian Chinese-someone of a different communal background than you, simply because I do not agree with you.

You have a lot of fear on your community, your fear can be traced back to the pre-independent colonial period, that is…50 over years ago… and your fear list still goes on and on.

I can't stop but to ask, how long you still 'intended' to let yourself being conquered by your fear?

What is bangsa Malaysia? Seems both of us have different interpretation on it. You give me an impression that you want non-Malay Malaysian to accept (or to follow?) your version of bangsa Malaysia.

Those who go against you will be branded as lesser Malaysian.
Patriotism is essential in forming bangsa Malaysia but bear in mind it is only dedicated to the country itself, not any particular ethnic group and language.

In my opinion, a patriotic will place country’s benefit ahead of him/her-self and his/her community.

So my friend, clear out some space in your mind, let us throw away our own communal interest and discuss further on how to improve our beloved country.

Shall we?

Godisuno said...

after 51 years of merdeka we still looking for a way to unite the malaysians. i've seen so many non-malay chinese in my line of works who cannot even speak a simple communicative Bahasa Malaysia. After 51 years. Yep..it is sad..we should find proper remedy before it becomes worst.

Anonymous said...

You know what Malaysia really needs right now? We need to be bombed or attacked by the United States or something. Or perhaps a devastating earthquake that'll ravage towns and cities. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we are relatively safe from any hostile forces and natural disasters. We need some sort of common enemy, a universal catastrophe that affects every one of us regardless of race, age or gender. Only then will we unite and work together. We had one for a brief moment, the British, which brought us together momentarily for the sake of independence. Over time we have regressed to hating and fighting each other. And here we are now.

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