FIRST THEY SAID YOU ARE MALAY, SO YOU CAN’T BE A CLERK.
…NOW SOME SAY, YOUR LANGUAGE IS A DISADVANTAGE TO YOUR PROGRESS.
By Mansor Puteh
It was not too long ago when some people said just because we were Malays, we were not able to even be clerks. But over time, our ancestors had proven that this is not so.
Now, there are some who said the Malay language is a disadvantage for us to progress. And shockingly, there are even some Malaysians who think so.
Yet, they are the ones who seem not to be able to progress even if they speak in English only. They end up being journalists for some of the local English language newspapers and can never be somebody better than that.
How wrong they can be. They may not be able to progress using Malay, but the many other Malays can, using our language.
The main language of communication for the Malays must be Malays and the main language of communication for Muslims must be Arab. But this has not happened.
It is due to the failure of our past leaders who had not made that happen. The leaders of Saudi Arabia has not seen it fit for them to become the champion of Arabic and because of that they did not set up schools for the learning of this language in all Muslim countries.
The Malay and Muslim Worlds can be better united if we are to speak and communicate in our own languages, so those who want to communicate with us will have to learn our languages and not the other way around.The colonists studied the native languages where they wanted to colonize. And only after they had managed to wrest control of the countries, they started to force the natives to learn their English language so much so that they are now many of the natives who think it is their sacred duty to use the language and also to force it to the others or else, they will charge them for not wanting progress.
Now the English colonizers can rest and allow the natives to do the bidding for them until the natives argue and even fight with each other, all for nothing.
Those who speak and write only in English in Malaysia, also do not have mobility; look at the professors and other professionals including the editors and journalists writing for the English language papers and publications in the country, none of them has been offered jobs to work for newspaper organizations in other countries.
It is therefore not the proficiency of the English language that matters but something else.
The late Lim Goh Tong could not speak English and only ‘market’ Malay, yet he became successful. Ghafar Baba did not study in the English language, yet, he could become the deputy prime minister of the country for some years.
If the United Nations (UN) still conducts business in many languages and not only in English, then it proves that English is not the only language of international communication.
In fact, Malay should have been accepted as an official language of the UN, if the Malay leaders are united and tell them how Malays in Malaysia and Indonesia and the other countries speak in one language which is Malays and not of the different languages which had been given the local description of Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia respectively that many think they are two different languages.
I often get foreigners amazed when I chose to speak in Malay with other Indonesians, because they did not know we were speaking in the same language, although we are from two different countries.
The Malay leaders have not done a good job at uniting the Malays so they can speak in the same language with the same linguistic description so that is why we still face such problems that even the UN acknowledges.
Strangely, Hollywood now considers only Malay as the language of Malaysia and Indonesia when they subtitle their films when they used to say Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia which they later referred to as Bahasa for their subtitles.
If we still can’t, it will be our duty to prove to the small number of Malays and other non-Malays that it is not so.
Besides, by studying science and mathematics in English, still cannot ensure that any race can progress. Or, by speaking and writing in English only, one can be better off than those who do not speak the language.
The Maoris of New Zealand, the Australian Aborigines, the African-Americans and Native Americans and even Canadians, all speak in English better than many so-called English-speaking Malaysians, yet, there are still where they are and not about to become prominent and important scientists and mathematicians.
Ironically, the many scientists and mathematicians that we have in the country most of whom are Malays, are those who still prefer to communicate in Malay, although they did acquire the knowledge and experience doing it in English.
And they are not exactly those who can’t speak in English or write in it, but they still chose to communication in Malay on an everyday basis.
In fact, most of the Malays who had studied and lived abroad for years still prefer to speak in Malay amongst ourselves. But this does not mean that they look down on English; they only use English sparingly to acquire knowledge and to read books that are written in it.
What many Malaysians have failed to realize is how some of them are using English mostly to show off, and for social communication. They can never acquire knowledge or even create new ones, using English.
And the worst part is that most of them can only express themselves in English only when they are in Malaysia, and not so much elsewhere. If they are in English, for instance, they will be lost.
In fact, not many Malaysians who have been invited to speak or present papers in international conferences, seminars or forums speaking in English.
The argument is not on why English is important, but why should it be used for social communication and not for the acquiring of knowledge. And why can’t we also ‘master’ other language, other than our own?
By Mansor Puteh
It was not too long ago when some people said just because we were Malays, we were not able to even be clerks. But over time, our ancestors had proven that this is not so.
Now, there are some who said the Malay language is a disadvantage for us to progress. And shockingly, there are even some Malaysians who think so.
Yet, they are the ones who seem not to be able to progress even if they speak in English only. They end up being journalists for some of the local English language newspapers and can never be somebody better than that.
How wrong they can be. They may not be able to progress using Malay, but the many other Malays can, using our language.
The main language of communication for the Malays must be Malays and the main language of communication for Muslims must be Arab. But this has not happened.
It is due to the failure of our past leaders who had not made that happen. The leaders of Saudi Arabia has not seen it fit for them to become the champion of Arabic and because of that they did not set up schools for the learning of this language in all Muslim countries.
The Malay and Muslim Worlds can be better united if we are to speak and communicate in our own languages, so those who want to communicate with us will have to learn our languages and not the other way around.The colonists studied the native languages where they wanted to colonize. And only after they had managed to wrest control of the countries, they started to force the natives to learn their English language so much so that they are now many of the natives who think it is their sacred duty to use the language and also to force it to the others or else, they will charge them for not wanting progress.
Now the English colonizers can rest and allow the natives to do the bidding for them until the natives argue and even fight with each other, all for nothing.
Those who speak and write only in English in Malaysia, also do not have mobility; look at the professors and other professionals including the editors and journalists writing for the English language papers and publications in the country, none of them has been offered jobs to work for newspaper organizations in other countries.
It is therefore not the proficiency of the English language that matters but something else.
The late Lim Goh Tong could not speak English and only ‘market’ Malay, yet he became successful. Ghafar Baba did not study in the English language, yet, he could become the deputy prime minister of the country for some years.
If the United Nations (UN) still conducts business in many languages and not only in English, then it proves that English is not the only language of international communication.
In fact, Malay should have been accepted as an official language of the UN, if the Malay leaders are united and tell them how Malays in Malaysia and Indonesia and the other countries speak in one language which is Malays and not of the different languages which had been given the local description of Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia respectively that many think they are two different languages.
I often get foreigners amazed when I chose to speak in Malay with other Indonesians, because they did not know we were speaking in the same language, although we are from two different countries.
The Malay leaders have not done a good job at uniting the Malays so they can speak in the same language with the same linguistic description so that is why we still face such problems that even the UN acknowledges.
Strangely, Hollywood now considers only Malay as the language of Malaysia and Indonesia when they subtitle their films when they used to say Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia which they later referred to as Bahasa for their subtitles.
If we still can’t, it will be our duty to prove to the small number of Malays and other non-Malays that it is not so.
Besides, by studying science and mathematics in English, still cannot ensure that any race can progress. Or, by speaking and writing in English only, one can be better off than those who do not speak the language.
The Maoris of New Zealand, the Australian Aborigines, the African-Americans and Native Americans and even Canadians, all speak in English better than many so-called English-speaking Malaysians, yet, there are still where they are and not about to become prominent and important scientists and mathematicians.
Ironically, the many scientists and mathematicians that we have in the country most of whom are Malays, are those who still prefer to communicate in Malay, although they did acquire the knowledge and experience doing it in English.
And they are not exactly those who can’t speak in English or write in it, but they still chose to communication in Malay on an everyday basis.
In fact, most of the Malays who had studied and lived abroad for years still prefer to speak in Malay amongst ourselves. But this does not mean that they look down on English; they only use English sparingly to acquire knowledge and to read books that are written in it.
What many Malaysians have failed to realize is how some of them are using English mostly to show off, and for social communication. They can never acquire knowledge or even create new ones, using English.
And the worst part is that most of them can only express themselves in English only when they are in Malaysia, and not so much elsewhere. If they are in English, for instance, they will be lost.
In fact, not many Malaysians who have been invited to speak or present papers in international conferences, seminars or forums speaking in English.
The argument is not on why English is important, but why should it be used for social communication and not for the acquiring of knowledge. And why can’t we also ‘master’ other language, other than our own?
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