Taken off TheOnlineCitizen website:
TEACHING Malay as a foreign language rather than a mother tongue could be one way to halt the decline in fluency among the community, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday. He said this suggestion might apply to Malays who grow up in an entirely English-speaking environment.
TEACHING Malay as a foreign language rather than a mother tongue could be one way to halt the decline in fluency among the community, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday. He said this suggestion might apply to Malays who grow up in an entirely English-speaking environment.
Dr Yaacob was addressing more than 200 Malay-Muslim pre-university students gathered at a theatre in Ang Mo Kio for a dialogue session aimed at sharing ideas to benefit the Malay-Muslim community. The other panellist was Madam Moliah Hashim, chief executive of self-help group Mendaki.
Innova Junior College student Ahmad Muslim, 17, asked what could be done about the decline in Malay fluency among the community. Dr Yaacob said everyone in the community has a role to play in keeping the language vibrant, but the challenge lies in keeping it relevant to the younger generation.
He added: ‘We are not in Kelantan or Kedah, where everyone speaks Malay in and out of the classrooms… it may be timely for us to teach Malay as a foreign language rather than as a mother tongue.’
The student also asked if the tide of foreign talent might eventually replace local workers. Madam Moliah said a change in perception was needed: ‘Instead of thinking of how you are going to compete with local and foreign talents for the job, reimagine that you are also a world competitor… that you can become a foreign talent yourself elsewhere.’
My goodness!!! What has Mr. Yaacob been smoking of late??? And what a time to say it, just a day after Parliament has dissolved. I came to work yesterday to the sounds of my Malay colleagues grumbling that they are now regarded as “Foreign Talents”. To them and I believe to the majority of Malays, the comments made were another tight slap to their faces to go along with the ones made by a certain octogenarian in his recently-published book with regards to integration and being less strict on practising their religion..
After what happened within these first four months of the year, I am definitely sure now that the Malay and Muslim community in general will think twice about supporting the People’s Action Party (PAP). From time to time, I hear my Malay colleagues and friends complain that they are being marginalized, from important posts in the military, to the madrasahs not getting enough recognition as compared to SAP schools and so on and so forth and what have the Malay leaders in the PAP been doing? They have just kept quiet, happy to keep the status quo going and afraid to standup to their paymasters. And now you have another in Zainal Sapari who is just another yes-man.
Like Mandarin, Tamil and English, Malay is our national language. Our anthem, though most Singaporeans do not understand its meaning, is in Malay. Our uniformed groups’ commands are in the language. Heck, even our day-to-day conversations are laced and peppered with bits and pieces of it. To treat the language like a foreign language would reduce its value and place in this country’s rich heritage where the indigenous are Malays.
It has been well-documented that the oldest person to contest this General Elections do not like the Malays, especially our neighbours. But to hear these sort of comments coming from the so-called Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs is completely irresponsible and even harder to digest. I hear Malay teachers out there complaining their hard work has gone to waste all these years and they are now being treated like an afterthought. But what do you expect from a so-called minister in charge whose kids learn Mandarin in school and has no regard for his own mother tongue?
The other day I watched the news and renowned political analyst and associate professor at NUS, Dr Hussin Mutalib, cryptically said one of the factors that would affect the way the votes go, will be down to the Malay-Muslim votes. I think he was the first political analyst who actually dared to say and admit it where others have just brushed aside or think it is not worthy to mention it. And these comments came out a day or two later to just confirm that this time round, the ruling party can expect the second-highest race population in this country to have a big say in how it will pan out come 7 May 2011.
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