Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Satu Jiwa Malaysia yang Merdeka!


Pada hari Khamis lepas, penulis menulis artikel "Disebalik Tuntutan Bahasa Mandarin Pemuda MCA" yang mana telah ditiru dan tampal ke laman Malaysia Today. Perbincangan dan komentar begitu hebat dan adakala panas hingga mencecah lebih 130 komen. Dalam kita berbincang hingga tegang leher, adakah kita mendapat manafaat dari perbincangan itu?

Jiwa yang lemah akan berkata usah ditimbulkan isu sedemikian. Jika kita tidak menyuarakan dan menerangkan rasa hati kita, kita tidak akan mula memahami antara satu sama lain. Namun, warganegara Malaysia perlu dewasa dalam berbicara dengan berhujah yang berfakta, analisa yang baik, dan penuh budi bahasa, sebagaimana salah satu doktrin kenegaraan kita, Rukunegara menuntut kesopanan dan kesusilaan.

Ada komentar menuduh penulis sebagai rasis, ada yang menuduh penulis mempelopori pemikiran nasionalis ultra-Melayu dan lain-lain tuduhan yang berupa kenyataan melulu, berdasarkan prasangka dan berniat membunuh karakter. Sebagai seorang yang begitu liberal dalam bersosial, pernah mempelajari Mandarin dan Kantonis, dan bermastautin seketika di negara Cina, jauh sekali penulis mempunyai sikap sedemikian. Adilkah penulis dituduh rasis kerana menyuarakan realiti negara ini yang berada di alam budaya Melayu serta memberi pandangan yang menekankan kepentingan kebangsaan (negara dan bangsa Malaysia)? Dimanakah hak orang-orang kaum lain di nodai?

Diantara begitu banyak hujah-hujah, ada yang menentang tulisan penulis dengan hujah-hujah yang agak mementingkan kaum tertentu bukan kepentingan nasional. Ada memberi alasan peningkatan ekonomi negara China lebih baik maka perlu ruang untuk bahasa dan sekolah Cina. Mengapa tidak diadakan pula sekolah sepenuh bahasa Inggeris, Jepun dan Korea?

Kepelbagaian di negara ini tidak pernah ditahan dan hak itu sudah diperlembagakan. Namun, pemikiran pluralisma yang membawa kepada caca marba, tiada haluan, dan mungkin membawa kepada suasana anarki tidak harus beri muka langsung. Justeru, polisi bahasa dan sistem pendidikan harus mempunyai satu hala dan tujuan, tentu sekali bukan boleh diubah-ubah mengikut fesyen ekonomi hingga melebihi keutamaan nasional ke arah negara bangsa Malaysia yang satu dan bersatu.

Sehubungan dengan pelajaran, ada yang menggunakan alasan yang menunjukkan jari ke arah kemunduran sistem pendidikan kebangsaan sebagai alasan dikekalkan sistem sekolah vernacular. Walaupun sedikit sebanyak ada kebenaran, tetapi itu isu berkainan yang amalan pengurusan sumber, kurikulum, pembelajaran pedagogi dan lain-lain dan bukannya perkara pokok. Ilmu boleh diperolehi dalam apa bahasa sekali pun.

Keseragaman bahasa amat perlu untuk membina satu bangsa dan negara Merdeka yang bersatu, tanpa prejudis antara satu sama lain. Melaungkan slogan itu mudah tetapi cara hasrat itu ingin dicapai juga sama pentingnya. Tentu sekali, pemikiran pluralisma yang menjurus kepada anarki dan ketidak seragaman tidak akan berjaya mencapai hasrat slogan itu.

Sejak tertubuhnya Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia dari tahun 1970an, sudah ribuan, jika tidak puloh ribuan, graduan bukan Melayu yang sudah lahir dari sistem pelajaran kebangsaan dari sekolah rendah hingga ke Universiti. Tidak pula hilang kecinaan atau keindiaan mereka? Tidak juga menurun kefasihan mereka di dalam bahasa ibunda dan bahasa Inggeris. Tidak pula menurun prestasi kerja mereka.

Adik penulis melalui sistem sedemikian juga dan adalah graduan sarjana dari Univeristi di benua Eropah (bukan menggunakan bahasa Inggeris). Dia berupaya mengatasai masaalah awal dalam bahasa Eropah dan Inggeris semasa belajar dan bekerja. Seorang teman penulis melalui pelajaran dari sekolah rendah hingga peringkat Sarjana Muda dalam bahasa kebangsaan dan belajar di peringkat Sarjana di Jepun. Tidak ada masaalah juga. Pokoknya terpulang kepada orangnya dan bukan bahasa dan sistem sekolah.

Alasan yang sering diberikan oleh penggiat Cauvanis kaum dan pendidikkan vernacular adalah untuk mengekalkan budaya mereka. Mungkin susah untuk pembaca menerima rasional yang penulis akan berikan kerana penulis ini berbangsa Melayu. Maka sukacita penulis lampirkan dibawah surat kepada Forum yang diterbitkan Utusan Malaysia hari ini Ogos 29hb, 2007 oleh seorang Cina dari Indonesia seperti berikut:
Hairan bukan Melayu kurang fasih bahasa Malaysia

SAYA adalah warga Indonesia keturunan Cina. Saya telah berada di Malaysia sejak awal tahun ini bagi mengikuti pengajian di sebuah universiti swasta.

Apa yang mahu saya kemukakan ialah rasa hairan terhadap kemampuan berbahasa ibunda di kalangan rakyat Malaysia daripada kalangan bukan Melayu.

Aneh melihat warganegara Malaysia sendiri yang lahir dan dibesarkan di negara ini masih tidak fasih dan kurang lancar menggunakan bahasa Malaysia.

Lalu saya bertanya mengapa jadi begitu? Di mana salahnya?

Dalam hal ini, saya cukup berbangga menjadi warga Indonesia yang walaupun dari rumpun bukan Melayu atau Jawa tetapi penguasaan bahasa kami sama sahaja.

Jika anda tidak memandang muka kami dan hanya mendengar suara menerusi telefon, mungkin anda akan merasakan bahawa kami adalah keturunan Melayu Indonesia atau Jawa.

Saya percaya dasar yang dilaksanakan oleh pemerintah Indonesia sejak merdeka, adalah cukup baik kerana dapat menyatukan warga Indonesia secara kental menerusi bahasa.

Seperkara lagi yang mengganggu fikiran saya ialah sebahagian rakyat Malaysia tidak mempunyai rasa bangga untuk bertutur dalam bahasa Malaysia.

Di kalangan orang Melayu, mereka lebih suka bertutur bahasa silang campur seperti Malaysia-Inggeris (bahasa rojak).

Di kalangan bukan Melayu pula, mereka lebih suka bertutur bahasa ibunda mereka atau bahasa Inggeris.

Pada saya, inilah realiti yang melingkari masyarakat majmuk Malaysia. Penyatuan menerusi bahasa kelihatan masih jauh daripada nyata.

Semoga sesuatu dapat dilakukan supaya bahasa nusantara yang indah ini tidak diabaikan dan lenyap berlalu bersama arus globalisasi.

Sungguhpun saya daripada etnik Cina tetapi saya berbangga bertutur bahasa Indonesia dengan penuh penghayatan.

Begitu pun, ia tidak menghakis sedikitpun kemampuan dan rasa cinta terhadap bahasa ibunda saya.

Begitu juga etnik Cina di Thailand, Filipina dan Vietnam yang fasih bahasa negara itu walaupun mereka tetap memelihara bahasa ibunda masing-masing.

Apa makna menjadi warganegara jika kita malu untuk bertutur dan menguasai bahasa tanah air yang menaungi kita?

Sempena menjelang Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia ke-50, renungkanlah hakikat ini.

– BUDI HARTONO (LIM SIA KIM),
Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Sebagai kesimpulan, berapa lama kita perlu berdalih lagi?
Bahasa dan sistem sekolah kebangsaan harus diperjuangkan oleh semua pihak, tidak kira apa bangsa dan puak. Penulis pernah bertemu seorang anak muda yang tidak bersetuju dengan sistem sekolah vernacular dari segi perspektif integrasi kaum tetapi dia mengunjurkan di adakah aliran bahasa Inggeris. Dalam satu banci kebangsaan, didapati bahawa hanya lebih kurang 25% rakyat Malaysia yang mempunyai keupayaan bahasa Inggeris. Bukankah pemikiran sedemikian menggalakkan budaya elitis?

Penulis teringat satu peristiwa semasa bekerja diluar negara. Seorang rakan Malaysia berbangsa Cina menunjukkan surat yang ia akan hantar kepada bondanya di Ipoh. Surat itu ditulis dalam bahasa Melayu yang begitu sopan dan formal. Apabila ditanya, sahabat saya menerangkan bahawa beliau tidak tahu menulis dan membaca tulisan Cina. Manakala, ibunya tahu membaca bahasa Melayu dan tidak tahu berbahasa Inggeris. Dari contoh ini, bahasa Melayu adalah bahasa perantara persuratan diantara kaum bukan Melayu dan bukannya Inggeris.

Semasa Persidangan Pemuda MCA baru-baru ini, seorang pemerhati memberitahu bahawa Presiden MCA, Dato Ong Kah Ting telah berucap di dalam Inggeris. Ini berlainan dari kelaziman berbahasa Melayu (Malaysia) oleh Presiden MCA selama yang boleh diingati. Penulis difahamkan dari seorang bekas ahli Dewan Negara bahawa Dato Ong mempunyai penguasaan bahasa Melayu (Malaysia) yang sangat baik.

Mengapakah dia tidak menghormati Majlis rasmi yang mana Perdana Menteri pun ada bersama? Atau Perdana Menteri, seorang yang kononnya pejuang kebangsaan, sudah tidak kisah kepada agenda kebangsaan yang diusahakan oleh arwah Tun Abdul Razak? Anih bukan? Mungkinkah parti pemerintah sudah ambil mudah dengan kedudukkan bahasa Kebangsaan? Atau Perlembagaan Malaysia dan isi kandungannya sudah tidak bererti lagi untuk mereka? Walau apa pun, jangan kita biarkan sikap sedemikian oleh pemimpin-pemimpin tanpa di tegur.

Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Satu Jiwa Malaysia yang Merdeka!

9 comments:

  1. Pandangan saya terhadap isu yang diketengahkan

    Tajuk: Mengapa "Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan" Masih Wujud?

    Link: http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com/2007/08/mengapa-sekolah-jenis-kebangsaan-masih.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. That BUDI HARTONO (LIM SIA KIM) should go to Kelantan.

    Indian or Chinese in Kelantan would kecek kelate sokmo.

    You wouldn't notice that they are not Malays until you actually look at them.

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  3. saya setuju dgn pandangan sepatutnya malaysia mempunyai satu bahasa,satu jiwa dan mempunyai semangat cintakan negara(no 1). apa salahnya sekolah kita sama saja tak kira melayu,cina , india, dll. adakan saja kelas bahasa lain di setiap sekolah

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  4. saya juga setuju jika anak-anak kita mempelajari bahasa lain selain daripada bahasa ibunda di sekolah yang sama supaya lebih memahami satu sama lain

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  5. To ask Chinese Malaysian to give up Chinese primary schools is as impossible as asking them to give up their lives! The Chinese can compromise for the NEP; the Chinese can compromise on having to work their arses off for anything they need particularly on education; the Chinese can compromise on being treated as second class; but no, the right for Chinese education is the thing that Chinese Malaysian will never compromise. We did not compromise prior to Merdeka, we don't compromise now, and we will not compromise in a hundred years.

    It is true that you can take a Malay out of the kampung but you cannot take the kampung of of a Malay. This article reflects just that kind of mentality. In this era of globalisation (FTA this and FTA that), the rise of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and with Chinese population in any corner of the world, the right to learn Chinese in a suitable environment cannot be taken away no matter what.

    I was told there are about 20,000 or so (I stand corrected) non-Chinese students in Chinese schools. Why? Is it not because those non-Chinese parents seeing the quality of the teaching, the dedication of the teachers, the importance of most spoken language in the world, and most importantly its usefulness. In fact, many of those Chinese parents and the children themselves regretted now for not having studied in Chinese school. They did not go to Chinese schools for various reasons including saving a year bypassing the remove class (kelas peralihan)by studying in sekolah kebangsaan.

    The right for quality education is unquestionable, just like the Malays would say Malay special rights is unquestionable. On the same token, parents have the rights to send their children to any type of school they have confidence in and the government is entrusted to maintain the existence of any school that is needed by the community.

    In fact the author represents the UMNO's view and not liberal Malays' view. But it has been proven that the more you try to oppress the Chinese education, the stronger the Chinese education has become. Perhaps this is why you can only see complacency in sekolah kebangsaan.

    If Chinese schools (including Chinese Independent Schools) are no good, or the products of these schools are no good, then why on earth some years back the National University of Singapore offered to take in the top 100 students who completed their Senior Middle Three exam (SM3). And we all no the ranking of NUS in many disciplines are world class. Whilst Malaysian government continue to ignore calls to recognise the SM3, universities from all over the world are recognising it and trying their best to absolve the top Chinese Malaysian students.

    So, get out of your kampung mindset and face the reality that Chinese education is something you cannot dispense of. You can either join us and we learn together, or you get lost in the current of globalisation. The Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Omar said recently that Malaysia has the edge to lure more Chinese visitors or to invest in China because we have many trilingual people product of the unwanted Chinese schools.

    I have gone through myself 6 years of Chinese education, 6 years of Sekolah Menengah (the most boring one except the remove class when 3 out of 4 teachers were Chinese), and 6 years of British education. So I consider myself quite balance in terms of education. And I do hope for many other generations to come they could still do what I have done and be proud to be a Chinese Malaysian.

    Without Chinese education, how do I understand Confusionism well; how do I understand those brilliant thoughts of the ancient Chinese thinkers and leaders; how do I read and write and listen in Chinese; how do I tackle those mainland Chinese girls who are more than impressed by an 'outside people' who could speak and write better than them in Chinese; and how do I travel in those many lovely places in China without communication breakdowns?

    I really pity those Chinese Malaysian who could not even right their name in Chinese, and ironically needed to write in Bahasa to communicate with his own mother.

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  6. Kalau saya tidak bercakap dalam BM itu tidak bererti saya tidak pandai dalam BM. Sama juga kalau saya tidak bergaul dengan orang 'ultraMalay' itu bukan bererti saya langsung tidak dapat menutur dalam BM. Ini semua disebabkan diskriminasi dari UMNO pilihan orang Melayu yang menyebabkan orang Cina tidak suka bertutur dalam BM.

    I don't speak in BM because I despise the leadership of UMNO. I don't speak BM because of my distaste for those 'ultraMalay' who has been given crutches since 37 years ago and yet they are not progressing far.

    When time is bad the Chinese will be the first to get shot by the bullets. You will see Malay leaders talking about how Malay professionals have been discriminated and they are not getting work or be employed and so forth.

    Are Malays not the one to have been helped in all kinds of professions? Take law for instance. Malays don't have to go through the Certificate in Legal Practice (well even if they do sit for it, ex-CLP director Khalid Yusoff has admitted in his recent conviction that Malay candidates were helped and quota were set for Chinese and Indians) simply because they just need to do four years with UITM and UIA. UM and UKM not so bad as you can still see some handful of Chinese and Indians, but aren't UITM and UIA for only Malays? When they come out to practice they have not been able to communicate well in English (now English is important here as all the judgments are in English or have at least English version; and except for subordinate courts English is used in the higher courts) and to take any initiatives to progress in their own careers. If you don't trust me then go and check with the Bar Council to see how many Malay lawyers are struck off the roll for various offences whilst practicing. Why the majority are Malays to be struck off? Is it because Malay lawyers are less trustworthy or simply because they took things for granted as they passed their law degree too easily?

    For Chinese and Indian lawyers they are likely to have gone through 2 years of A-Level or STPM, 3 years of LL.B (likely to be British degrees through external, or twinning programmes, or fully internal), and one year of CLP (well, I have known many who had to sit for it so many times and the extreme one was a guy who sat for it 11 times ie. wasted 11 years!).

    For Malays, all you need is to be slightly good academically compare to your peers and you can do Matriculation courses offered by UITM and UIA and this guarantee you a place to do the LL.B course in these universities and eventually guaranteed to be a lawyer without having the CLP to be bothered with. Well, in the case of UITM yes you have the choice to either do the fourth year to get an Honours degree or proceed on to do CLP. But which Malay is his or her right mind would have chosen the CLP programme created mainly to filter the non-Malays from entering the profession?

    Talking about CLP, now is it extremely good that it ought to be internationally recognised like the British Bar and Solicitors' exams? Many would have chosen to do the Bar exam or Solicitors' exam rather than CLP had they got the money. CLP is tough for a reason not because of its high quality, but for all kinds of hanky-panky, honky-dory and secret quotas set. All exams are unseen exam (compared to British Bar and Solicitors' exam LPC), you ought to study 10 heavy subjects (including the sub ones in professional practice paper)and meant to memorise thousands of cases. In the ethics question alone, you ought to memorise over a hundred rules by heart! Imagine this is just for a question out of the five questions in PP paper out of the five main papers!!

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  7. So, do you see my point? If you have been lucky and of course good enough to sieve through the CLP filter, you are meant to be good or at least you treasure what you have got. And the determination to excel would be carried through in the practice later on. This would eventually mean there are more Chinese and Indian law firms and successful ones. Well of course you have big Malays firms like Zaid Ibrahim & Co. but you know that is exceptional and that there are many Chinese and Indian laywers in it.

    A bit of digression there but do you get it? Unity in this country does not depend on a single language. There were more racial tolerance prior to Merdeka not through single language but through less discriminating policies. In UK, 'racist' is a big word. Anytime anyone is called a racist he or she is a gonner no matter how good he or she had been. This is particularly so when he or she is a politician. Therefore you have all kinds of anti racial discrimination Acts being passed. When I first arrived in UK I thought 'nah no way I am gonna get the job since I am a non-White'. But I was proven wrong. Now I would say I will get 11 jobs if I applied for 10. This is not happening in Malaysia. Everything is too race-based simply because you have the one and only race-based party in the world that controls the country since 1957. The drafter of the Constitution must have not thought about a single-party- ruling for the last 50 years was possible or else the 2/3 majority requirement to pass a law might well have been unanimous instead of 2/3.

    Having said the above, do you not think that the NEP is doing more harms than good? The benefits of the NEP does not go to all deserving Malays but a bunch of UMNO politicians and their cronies. In fact, if NEP is still needed, then I think perhaps Indians are needing it more than any other races (well Indians this is just my opinion, you can of course refuse to be on these stupid crutches and Berdiri di atas Kaki Sendiri). Some people was telling me that you have to be careful with the Indians because they are starving, starving in the sense that they are the most desperate as they have been sidelined all these while by the government policies. Hence you can see many Indians go on the criminal path by snatching and all sorts. This I blame it on our race-based government.

    Coming back to the point. I have never suggested that all Malaysians must learn Chinese or make Chinese the national language. But what I am saying is, what is so bad an idea in the global-village kind of world to learn an extra language? If unity could be achieved by everyone speaking BM then I would be the first to jump on the band wagon. But I am telling you and please get this right: Unity can only be achieved through fair treatment of all races and language is nothing but part of our human rights.Majority of the Chinese in this country know how to speak in BM but we purposely choose not to as part of our discontentment about all kinds of discriminations that is going on since 1957. And to keep the Chinese schools is inevitble to make sure the Chinese don't lose their own mother tongue and get 'Malaynised'.

    But the most important thing, I think, is the distrust to put the job of educating our young kids in the hands of the lousy teachers there. The Chinese want more say in the education. This wecan not do it if all schools have become sekolah kebangsaan. It is just like the MCA becoming the running dogs of UMNO.

    So, no way, no way Chinese will compromise on this. Education is our lives and we ought to do it ourselves, our way. And applying the Israeli philosophy 'If you want to do things right, you have to do it yourself' (made famous after the Munich Olympic massacre where the Israeli saw nothing could have been done by the Germans and they had to do the assasinations of the terrorists one by one by themselves.). Don't get me wrong, I don't fancy Israeli in any way, but just using that philosphy to stress a point that you can talk until the cows come home and you cannot get Chinese to let go of Chinese schools, as simple as that.

    NB: I refuse to use the term 'non-Malay' throughout for I don't want to use Malay as a benchmark in everything just because there are 60% of them. The rest of the 40% MUST still be counted for in this country we call home.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 巫統領袖接受現實
    納吉:不提關閉華小
    updated:2007-09-16 20:48:51 MYT


    (吉隆坡訊)大馬副首相拿督斯里納吉指出,巫統領袖已接受各族小學生無法在同一個語文源流的學校一起學習的現實,因為這是政府的政策。

    “大馬的教育體制並不統一,特別是在國民教育中存在華小、淡小及國小教育;除了教育,居住區域的客觀環境,也限制了各族互相交流的機會。但是,巫統領袖已接受這個現實,並沒有提出任何關閉華小的提案。


    詢及政府沒有依據華裔實際需求有系統增設新華小的原因,納吉說,依據國陣協議,政府以個案方式討論增設新華小的問題。

    “不過,華小地位已不受威脅,因為政府已修改不利華小的法令條文,華小已納入國家教育體系,國陣承諾華小繼績存在。”

    他強調,巫統領袖並不害怕華小,他們只是希望各族學生在同一屋簷下一起學習,促進種族交流,因為華裔學生進入華小,將失去與其他族群學生交流的機會。

    納吉指出,年輕一代欠缺溝通及交流,主要是各族人民傾向於在各自的族群內生活所致。

    他說,即使是城市地區,也僅有少數地方真正稱得上是多元種族群居的地區,因此政府推行國民服務訓練計劃填補這方面出現的種族交融空隙,通過加強各族交流,確保各族能夠和諧及融洽相處。

    他表示欣慰的是,在他出任教長時,除了允許華小搬遷,也批准及興建多所新華小;同時,我也修改教育法令刪除對華小不利的條文,以及任內沒有華小課題。

    詢及大馬已有基礎良好的華文小學教育,因此,政府是否考慮開放給東盟國家的子弟就讀的問題,納吉說,政府將繼續秉持招收外國人就讀本地國立大學政策,不會對東盟區域國家開放華小。

    “政府小學只供本地人申請就讀,以滿足大馬人的需求為優先考量,外國人可以報讀本地私立及國立大專院校。

    如果外國人要讀華小,我們要如何滿足他們?再說,如果我們開了先例,將來印尼人有意讀國小,政府將無力阻止,將會衍生其他問題。”

    黃明志事件非執意處罰
    是否追究交當局決定

    針對巫統領袖在黃明志事件揚言要遞奪黃明志公民權及使用內安法令對付,使華社感到不安及不滿的問題,納吉強調,大馬人必須認清,國歌是神聖不可侵犯的事實,黃明志修改國歌的舉動,已經引起馬來社會強烈不滿。

    他說,雖然當局並非執意要處罰黃明志,加上黃志明事後做出道歉,但類似事件已經發生,因此政府交由有關當局決定是否繼續追究黃明志修改國歌的舉動。

    他以泰國為例說,泰國人非常尊重國歌,天天在公共場合播放國歌,就算是在打高爾夫球,也必須暫時放下球桿而立正。

    “在泰國,每天早上都播放國歌,所有泰國人都放下手上的工作肅然起敬。若對國歌有所不敬,可能會被對付得很慘。在外國,對國歌不敬,一樣備受譴責。不要以為修改國歌舉動是可以被格外開恩,或是可以辯解。” (星洲日報•2007.09.16)

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  9. Anonymous12:11 PM

    Orang Tionghoa Malaysia koq terima aja sih perlakuan tidak adil? Di indonesia sejak Reformasi sudah dihapus segala bentuk diskriminasi khususnya untuk keturunan Tionghoa, sekarang Imlek saja sudah jadi hari libur.

    Indonesia sudah berubah dan sudah maju, kapan Malaysia mau menghapus diskriminasi?

    ReplyDelete

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