Simple Q & A for Dapster dummies
TANJAK
FACT: Only six percent of non-bumiputera students enrol in sekolah kebangsaan.
Meanwhile, 90 percent Malaysian Chinese parents choose to send their children to Chinese medium-schools. This “nine-out-of-ten” statistic is, however, close to a decade old. The figure would be even higher today.
How divisive is this choice by Malaysian Chinese to marginalize themselves from the mainstream?
The commentary below by one YS Chan in FMT misinforms from the article headline onwards.
Satu Sekolah proponents are not pushing for Malaysia to be monolingual as depicted through the misleading label of “one-language champions”.
What the 1Sekolah voices are rightly advocating is a unified – one single medium of instruction – education stream so that we can achieve the elusive national unity.
So enough lah from the SJK(C)s apologists. Tanjak responds to YS Chan who provides the most spurious excuses for the continuance of the vernacular education stream that segregates our children.
Below is a list of the most common rhetorical devices employed by these Chinese language chauvinists. We provide the suitable rebuttals.
1. Why is Switzerland so united when it speaks so many languages?
ANSWER: Switzerland has arguably the strictest requirements in the world to qualify for citizenship. An immigrant aspiring to be a Swiss through the process of naturalization has to pass the most stringent of citizenship tests.
(a) For one, you would have had to live in Switzerland for at least 12 years before you can apply for citizenship. You need to be well integrated into Swiss society, and of course, be able to speak the language(s) and adhere to the native customs.
(b) Authorization for granting Swiss citizenship must not only be obtained at federal level but also from the canton and municipality.
In some very strict cantons, the immigrant i.e. wannabe new Swiss national is required to be vetted by his neighbours (townsfolk) in the municipality who will then vote on whether they agree to the new citizenship application being approved.
Conclusion: Although it is difficult to strip MyKad holders of Chinese descent of their Malaysian citizenship acquired automatically through birth, nonetheless, going by Swiss standards of naturalization, these Chinese language chauvinists would not be able to qualify should they apply for Malaysian citizenship due to lack of integration into our national culture.
(c) Compare apple to apple please; different languages are used in Switzerland without discounting their collective national identity.
Article 4 of the federal constitution of the Swiss confederation states that its national languages are German, French, Italian, and Rumansh.
Under Articles 152 and 161 of the Malaysian federal constitution, Bahasa Melayu is the sole national language of this country.
Conclusion: If the MCA-DAP Chinese language chauvinists want the status of Mandarin to be uplifted, they would have to first amend the federal constitution through a majority vote in Parliament.
But before that, the DAP-MCA leaders must take over Putrajaya … with a little help from their new-found Malay friends.
