Vision for a Malaysian Malaysia
The government must find the courage to review the education system with the single, overarching objective of achieving national unity by providing one that, while meeting the language needs of the Chinese and the Indians, is truly national in every respect.
By TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ/MySinchew
Fifty two years of Merdeka, of being in full control of our own destiny, and what have we achieved as far as national unity is concerned? It remains a forlorn hope, a gleam in the eye at best. A harsh comment, perhaps, but it is not far from the truth. The polarization which exists today and which appears to have taken a grip on the nation as a whole must not be allowed to gain a permanent foothold. Bearing in mind that we are talking in national terms, the problem bedeviling us affects us all-they are our problems both individually and collectively. What can we all do about them?
Whether we succeed or fail in bringing about sustainable national unity depends very much on the social, educational, and economic policies that we develop and implement. Of these, I consider education to be the most important agent of change. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that because our education policy allows for separate existence of ethnic schools, a sort of educational apartheid, whole generations of Malaysians of different racial backgrounds have grown up without the benefit of studying, playing together and enjoying the rich cultural diversity to be found in this country of ours.
The result is apathy, indifference, ignorance and prejudice. All this is a far cry from my own school days when we were in it together, and by the time we left school, we would have made friends with boys and girls of all races, many of whom are still my friends today. Race was an accident, and it certainly never bothered me. I am convinced that the road to national integration is through the portals of our national schools. I do not believe that you can create racial unity and understanding by putting young children in their separate national institutions. My views on a single education system do not go down well with people who are blinkered, and care little or nothing about the future of their country. We have little choice in the matter if we want to achieve integration on a sustainable basis.
The government must find the courage to review the education system with the single, overarching objective of achieving national unity by providing one that, while meeting the language needs of the Chinese and the Indians, is truly national in every respect. All of us must drop our chauvinistic and selfish grandstanding, and start to think about the country for once. Otherwise, there is not going to be a ghost of a chance of creating a society that can live side by side in harmony, grounded in mutual trust, respect and understanding.
The harmony that we proudly claim to exist in our country is not deep rooted. Scratch the surface, and what do we really see? Uneasy coexistence, compounded by the most irrational suspicion and prejudice. And yet, are we doing enough to address the weaknesses inherent in our race relations? Have we made any serious attempt to understand the root causes of racial polarization and disintegration? If the holding of open houses once a year is our state of the art strategy for national unity, then it only serves to confirm my long-held belief that as a country we are unduly preoccupied with form. What we need is more substance. The Government alone cannot push this important national agenda entirely on its own, and as in the case of fighting corruption, we must become part of the solution.
There is, therefore, a role for civil society organizations, NGOs, the corporate sector, the professions, the media, parent-teacher associations, community and religious leaders to lend support to efforts to bring about racial unity and integration through a fair and enlightened school system-one that will satisfy both the individual as well as the national aspirations. All of this will require a sincere commitment to the welfare, peace, harmony and prosperity of our country and all our people, not just for now, not only just for ourselves, but for the generations after us.
National unity requires hard work, often soul-destroying because results are often extremely elusive and illusory. We must never make the mistake of thinking that national unity is product money can buy. It is a process that requires much adjusting in a never ending spirit of give and take. I believe, if we care enough about our very own Malaysian Malaysia, it is worth the sacrifice. Are we up to the challenge?
Going our separate ways in educational terms will keep us even farther apart than is good for us as a people. The way ahead for our Malaysian Malaysia is by adopting a unified education system.
