Politics of education

DEC 16, 2008 — Respectable as he may be, Prof Khoo Khay Kim's suggestion for the Chinese and Indian communities to do away with vernacular schools was greeted with dismay and anger by politicians and Chinese educationists alike.
On the other hand, Umno politicians especially Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir considered the backing by Khoo as "vindication" that their demand for the closure of vernacular schools is justified.
This tug-of-war between Chinese educationists and Umno politicians has been going on for decades.
One of the most bitter being the 17-point Suqiu demands in 1999 — with mother tongue education being one of the main demands — which was then followed by the highly-charged demonstration in front of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall led by former Umno Youth vice-chief Aziz Sheikh Fadzir.
Photos of this brutish thuggery were used widely as the main campaign material in the Lunas by-election in 2000, leading to the spectacular loss of the BN seat to Keadilan.
Chinese educationists have also had brushes with previous education ministers like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Najib Razak in their quest for recognition and right for mother tongue education.
On the other hand, Malay educationists or academicians rarely express themselves nor do they invite hostile reception.
They are very much docile compared to their Chinese counterparts.
When the government bulldozed the implementation of the policy to teach Science and Mathematics in English in 2003, Malay educationists and interest groups like Gapena, Pena or Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka were muted in their response and did not object vociferously to the policy which clearly challenged the sanctity of the Malay language as the national language.
Except for one or two academicians who aligned themselves with the opposition to oppose the policy, the rest cowered in fear of losing power and position.
The policy is fast becoming a farce and the Education Ministry is now in a bind on whether to reverse the decision or persevere with its grave mistake of introducing the policy which lacks planning, foundation and support system.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
In Malaysia, politics and education are two main commodities that use and abuse each other.
The recent suggestion for UiTM to be opened up by 10 per cent to non-Malays was met by angry calls of "traitor" and "blasphemy" by Malay interest groups.
Dr Halimah Ali, Selangor state exco for Education, floated the idea which received the support of Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim on the condition that studies indicate that it would improve the quality of Malay graduates.
Excessive politicisation of the issue has caused consternation and anxiety among ordinary Malays.
Notwithstanding that it remains a mere suggestion — the Selangor government has no jurisdiction over UiTM — the issue was overblown and exaggerated for cheap political mileage.
Rallies and demonstrations were well orchestrated to show thousands of UiTM students expressing their disapproval of the suggestion.
The fact of the matter is, opening up 10 per cent or even 30 per cent of the UiTM intake to non-Malays will not improve the quality of Malay graduates substantially nor will it improve the quality of teaching and learning in UiTM.
Education is not a commodity that can be traded or negotiated.
Just like healthcare, education should not be imparted with tainted and blemished quality.
Basic and quality education must be provided to everyone who is deserving, regardless of race or creed.
It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that adequate places are available for everyone to further their studies which will then render irrelevant the endless demands and counter demands for quota intakes into universities.
Those who are qualified academically must be given the opportunity to further their studies in higher education and provide a pathway to uplift them socially and economically.
This will be achieved not only with adequate infrastructural development but also with the latest and innovative teaching methodologies and tools.
Quality education will never be achieved if it is being manipulated to serve as a political tool.
Education and the higher education system in our country are already in a sorry state, mix it with politics and it is the students who will suffer the most.
During the era of Tan Sri Arshad Ayub as Vice-Chancellor of UiTM, there were many non-Malay lecturers imparting knowledge to deserving Malay students.
Malay College Kuala Kangsar also has a history of non-Malays and even foreigners as teachers in the institution.
Logic defies me: how is it that we can allow non-Malays to teach us but we cannot allow non-Malays to study alongside us.
Our leaders enforce rules and regulations to protect the Malays from their own shadows.
This will not allow the Malays to progress but keep the Malays more and more insulated in their own utopia.
The more I think about it, the more I feel threatened by my own race than anyone else.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Dec 16, 2008

Vernacular or not?

DEC 9, 2008 — The recent debate over the existence of vernacular schools has seen vociferous defence and attacks from proponents and exponents alike.
Exponents argued that vernacular schools are hurting national unity, but the actual harm is being inflicted not by the curriculum of the vernacular schools but the actions and rhetoric of politicians from both sides of the divide.
Political rhetoric on the erosion of Malay rights, the position of the national language and Islam and now vernacular schools have been hitting the front pages on an almost daily basis since the March 8 general election.
One wonders whether these so-called sensitive issues would be highlighted if the results of the election had been otherwise and hegemony not under threat.
I suppose not.
The debate questioning the need for vernacular schools is an attempt to take an offensive stand to uphold the hegemony for certain quarters and certain elements within society.
There is no sincerity in discussing the actual issues — whether the education system or national unity.
To put a seemingly logical and righteous spin, national unity is being raised as the raison d'être to justify the need for a single uniform education system.
While the man in the street is not really bothered about the supposed adverse effects of vernacular schools on national unity, extreme peripheral elements are trying to sway the majority to see their point of view.
Hence, it is vital to put the discussions and the anger stirred up by these extreme elements into perspective.
We should not miss out on history in the discussion of this important issue even if it was raised for political expediency.
It is a fact that the Razak Report recommended the need for a single education system but in the same breath it also allowed for the right of vernacular schools to exist.
The British told Tunku Abdul Rahman and his delegation that Malaya would be granted independence as long as the foundation of the country was agreed upon by all the main races inhabiting it at that point of time.
The British wanted every single community to be represented hence the compromise on the special position of the Malays and the right to mother tongue education.
It was to be that Malaya will not be exclusively for the Malays.
Malaya is a migrant state and we should be proud of it.
Some historians have put forward the theory that even the Malays originated from southern China, they migrated to this region and the Nusantara in search of a better life.
Some other historians claim that the Malays were from the extended Polynesian family, with physical attributes akin to the natives in Hawai'i and the neighbouring cluster of islands.
Our diverse culture, language and beliefs are a boon to the nation as we are a melting pot.
Should we not discuss and debate issues sacred to each other?
As a dynamic nation we should be able to discuss — to agree or disagree — on any issue even if it touches on our constitution.
Those calling for the Sedition Act or the Internal Security Act to be used on those questioning these two issues — the special position of the Malays and the right of vernacular schools to exist — are the ones guilty of stifling a mature democracy.
For us to mature as a country, meaningful debate— whether it is on the special position of the Malays or vernacular schools — must be allowed to flourish.
These leaders do not realise that they are species of the same kind; they bark in different languages but want the same thing — they do not want debate.
To me and the rest of apathetic Malaysians, they are simply not democrats but hypocrites.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Dec 9, 2008