1Sekolah Proponents Should Try Harder

By Khoo Kay Peng (Straight Talk)

I would like to thank those who had responded with to my last post on 1Sekolah. I agree that we should not approach the subject on education through racial or partisan lenses. It amazes me to find out that some of the respondents actually thought that my problem with the 1Sekolah movement was due to my support of the vernacular schools.

Some of these readers simply refused to read my post in total when I said that a truly integrated school system minus the politics, race and religion is a good foundation for national unity. I attended a national primary school. I did very well for both the Bahasa Melayu and Malay literature subjects the STPM level.

I must admit that I am not that proficient in Mandarin. I tried learning the language like any other 'lao wai' (foreigners) would do to acquire some basic communication skill and to convey some simple messages in Chinese. Over the years, my communication ability in Chinese putonghua had improved gradually. Probably many more Malays, Indians, whites and others who were educated in Chinese speak and write better Chinese than I can.

Does my background make me less Chinese and more Malaysian? The answer is no. I still get racist statements and comments posted on blog targeting me personally.

I am fluent in the Malay language but does that help to draw me closer socially to other Malays? The answer is again a big NO. The fact is we are still drawn by other social, cultural and religious factors when choosing our friends.

Read more at: http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2009/05/1sekolah-proponents-should-try-harder.html