Prodigy

The Promuda Mouthpiece

Issue 1, July 2002

BUZZ!

THE PROMUDA GARDENING DEBATE

Author’s Note: The setting is fictional, but the comments are lifted directly from the Promuda-Circle Message Board. I did take the liberty to add some descriptive details which I hope won’t be offensive to anyone. It’s impossible to quote everybody who contributed to the circle, just as it’s impossible to quote in entirety, so please, don’t feel miffed if you and your comments don’t appear! There’s always the next issue….Enjoy!

The sun’s rays peek over the horizon, casting pale light on a garden fence with a sign that says “Promuda Members Only”. Figures stride through that garden gate, all wearing gardening gear and burdened with spades, trowels, shovels and other planters’ equipment. 

It’s May, the month of blooms and holidays, but though smiles are exchanged, everyone’s eyes are intent, serious. The circular garden, bare of plants except for grass, is soon crowded.  

A man enters, heaving a large, heavy plant with thick, trailing roots and branches waving in all directions. It’s Romil, wearing a t-shirt with The Malaysia-Singapore Union Co.  emblazoned in black. He doesn’t waste time, plonking the tree right in the middle of the circle.  

“In truth,” he pants, “I am a great admirer of Singapore.” 

He wipes his grimy hands on the bright red t-shirt. “Lee Kuan Yew the Senior Minister who is still the real power behind the country has created a country out of a small island. ………..(he) has done a good job moulding the character of his people.”  

He stares hard at the bag of fertilizer marked “Union”. The crowd starts murmuring, but Romil is not finished yet, “Unfortunately for Singapore and Malaysian relations, Lee Kuan Yew has always kept his country on its toes by posing Malaysia as its bogeyman. It has also insulted our country openly by saying our country is rife with corruption and laziness. And the worst thing is that we are their potential enemy.”  

Many people nod. Ian Phung speaks up, his formal tone clashing with the stained overalls that clad him, “I am tempted to share my views on the notion of a union between Singapore and Malaysia. For a start, I believe that such an idea is unlikely, at least not during our present generation. Perhaps an Economic Union but definitely not politically or even socially.”  

He expounds on the divergent experiences of the two nations, and concludes that “..On Singapore's part there is simply too much intolerance on how we do things, too much suspicion on Malaysia's intentions and they regard with validity that Singapore is too developed a nation for Malaysia.”  

Someone is pushing through the crowd. It’s Jimmy Hoffa, looking spiffy in wraparound shades, except for that stern set of his mouth.  

“..(Corruption),” he begins, “could be one of the main factors stopping the unification of Singapore and Malaysia.” 

He tears off the shades, letting everyone see the fervor shining in his eyes. “I mean, can the Malaysian government cope with an atmosphere free from corruption? Can the BN government rule in a condition free from corruption, nepotism, favouritism etc as opposed to their PAP counterpart? In fact, in the last Singaporean General election, the opposition parties were in a state of loss (as they had) very few issues to pick with the Singaporean government.”  

Ian is shaking his head. He quotes from an article which posited that perhaps Singaporeans aren’t speaking up because “to speak up and challenge the powers that be would attract so much scorn from the dictator that people prefer to keep quiet - at least for now. If one were to so much whisper "Corruption!" by the Lee family, defamation suits come raining down.”  

Voices rise and trowels brandished as the sun flares fully to life in the clear blue sky.  

Andrew Pang attempts peace as he pleads, “Put aside these bickering and [un]neighborly behavior and look at the big picture …We continue to compete and compare with Singapore so infamously, and forget the likes of the other 8 siblings in Asean. Promuda is a movement for the future. Let’s decipher what doctrines of values and virtues we're keen to champion. Lets then disseminate that seed all across Asean.”

Everyone looks unhappily at the tree, not quite knowing how to treat the overgrown plant. Finally, it is carted off to a corner, where damp earth is poured over its roots and water hastily sprinkled on its leaves. The bag of Union fertilizer is dumped next to it, still unopened.  

Just when it seemed everyone was about to go home and get their hands clean again, Nazrin whips out a new plant, its tiny green leaves just unfurling, dewy-tipped and trembling. The small pot is labeled “English-Medium Schools”. The pot is carefully placed on the ground, followed by two bags of fertilizers. One “Support” and the other, “Oppose”.  

Nazrin explains, “(The) Government is considering reintroducing English medium schools and is seeking public feedback on the issue. This is probably one of the most crucial issues in education that Malaysia will ever face……”  

“Like it or not,” he continued, face solemn, “whether it's to be preference or policy, language is LITERALLY a form of access or empowerment. Choosing one language over another, might take away access from the non-proficient and giving it to the proficient. And we know that most of this country is still not very proficient in English. The dynamics of competition in Malaysian education would change.”  

“……It's not that we're downplaying BM, but undeniably, we need to tap on the constantly expanding knowledge that can be derived from the English-speaking world. The survival of the Malays is more important now, precisely to ensure the survival of the Malay language…… Please debate, o future parents!”  

The women within the circle stir.

Fiza is thoughtful, “Maybe the inability to speak well in English is why a large number of Malay graduates are jobless…Having had a stint at a local private college teaching English, I noticed that even though the English language is our official second language, most Malays especially from rural areas are not able to converse nor read English (and this after the 11 years of mandatory schooling).”  

She goes on to say that “(Graduates) do not have strong personalities and do not actually know what they want in life. I think most fail in their interviews because it's not just what they know which is important, but also how they sell themselves and convey that knowledge.”  

Hedi agrees, “I was lecturing for 5 years for the pre-U MARA students' program. Sadly, I have to tell you that Malay students' (especially) English standard is …(t)otally horrific! I met some who can't even read in English even at the age of 18 or 19. Most of my students got F9 or P8 for their English. Those with C4 can't really speak fluently at all...”

She assumes a lecturing pose, “The exact potion we need to up lift the standard of English is the RIGHT ATTITUTE, the right program, the right support from family, school, ministry and government. Retaining good teachers is another issue too.”  

There’s a slow clapping sound, and everyone turns to see. 

It’s Dang Suria, shaking her head, lips curved in a smile, “Dahsyat sungguh penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris tuan2 & puan2 sekelian. Pada pendapat anda, adakah kehebatan Bahasa Inggeris tuan2 dan puan2 sebab utama anda mendapat pekerjaan? Bukankah banyak lagi sebab2 yang menentukan kejayaan seseorang itu mendapat kerja? Saya pasti, tin kosong tak ke mana. Saya berpendapat alasan bahawa Bahasa Inggeris adalah punca utama ramai Bumiputera menganggur adalah tidak kukuh. Saya rasa alasan yang lebih kukuh ialah Bumiputera terutamanya Melayu :
 1. Malas
 2. Meletakkan kepentingan pada perkara2 yang kurang penting. (spending
major time on minor things)
 3. Kurang membaca dan kurang mementingkan ilmu/pendidikan.
 4. Suka membazir waktu dan melengah-lengahkan usaha.
 5. Semangat yang hilang/rendah.
 6. Lemah jatidiri.
 7. Terlalu bergantung kepada orang lain.
 8. Sering menuding jari.”

Some are outraged by her comments, others nod their heads.  

Munirah steps out, not the least jet-lagged from her flight from London. She looks out unhappily at the gathering, “I am by no means a linguist, nor a historian, but I am to a large extent a nationalist. I guess I'm just quite tired and baffled at the same time reading numerous complaints about bangsa Melayu. The Malays were a great race, a strong and intelligent group of businessmen. We built the Malaccan empire since 1400 and attracted traders around the world to come and trade with us. They learnt Bahasa Melayu in order to do business with us……The Queen corresponded with the Sultans in MELAYU, WRITTEN in JAWI. Such strong respect people had for the Malays.”  

She spreads her arms wide. Her voice grows stronger, “Who coined bangsa Melayu malas? FRANK SWETTENHAM. Why? A propaganda to slant the Malays when they refused to work in tin mines and rubber plantations. Not coz they were lazy but simply a proud people who will not by any means bow to the orders of invaders. (The) British wanted …… to bring our esteem down, to make us bow to the 'greater colonial powers'”  

The big-screen TV against the garden wall flickers to life. After the fuzz clears, we see Azad, all the way from the Phillipines, saying, “(The Pinoys) are multi racial too with Malays being a majority but when they communicate, Malay with Malay, Malay with Chinese, Chinese with Chinese, Spanish with Malay, Visaya & etc, they all speak in Tagalog. The point here, most Pinoys know English, but then use them ONLY when they need to.”  

He takes a breath and goes on, " Now, I am a big complainer of Philippines with its traffic jams, you-won't-believe-pollution, safety issues, corruption and what-nots, but I have to salute this. They are all bounded together with a common LOCAL language. How nice!”  

Azad shakes his head and sighs. His look is imploring, “Naikkan taraf Bahasa Malaysia - jadikan bahasa UTAMA dalam semua bidang. Satu-padukan Malaysia dengan Bahasa Malaysia - kekalkan identiti. Tidak perlu sekolah aliran Inggeris - status quo. Semua orang tahu English tapi guna bila perlu sahaja.” The screen winks off.  

The air is still for a moment, then Najib nods, saying, “(When) I was in Finland, I found that they had lots of reading material (original and translated) in Finnish, yet there are barely 5 million speakers! They were colonized by Sweden or Russia at various points in history but they kept their linguistic identity even with a still-significant Swedish-descent population in Finland ……. M'sia is comparatively an economic powerhouse in SE Asia; so why isn't Malay more used and prestigious?”  

There’s a loud thud that makes everybody jump. Jimmy Hoffa is standing up on a garden chair. “The whole issue with the English Language medium and 94% of Malay graduates cannot get a job etc is a farce. In actual fact, it is a cover up to divert the issue from the real reason and that is the weakness of the Government and Mahathir's administrations.”  

A wave of protest starts from the crowd. Jimmy ignores it and holds up two fingers, “There are two main points why I say that the issue is a complete farce: -

A) The Chinese in Malaysia are (the) majority either in the current Malay medium or in the Chinese medium schools. Yet why are the Chinese graduates not experiencing problems with unemployment?

B) Why aren’t job employers in Malaysia are not coerced by the government to allow graduates from other majors to work for them i.e. For a financial and accounting firm to hire a political science graduate or an arts graduate to work for them?”  

Jimmy sweeps on, “To me, Dr Mahathir is skillfully trying to hide the faults of his administration that has lead to the high rates of unemployment. It is his responsibility for these graduates to get work and it's clear to me that his administration had failed in doing so.”  

He jumps down from the chair, and as the sun reaches its zenith, the crowd argues in earnest. Penjejak Badai throws out an article by Dr. Haris Md. Jadi, ‘Aliran Inggeris: Apakah mahu diulang sejarah pahit’ which highlights the ever-increasing quantities of job openings requiring “Chinese prefered, able to speak Chinese dialect, able to speak Mandarin, Chinese only”. Nor Halena stands with him, crying out that “Memang benar, kadang kala kita rasa seperti menumpang di bumi sendiri.” Roydean asks that all Malays should “think and look back about the history and what we are as a race …. what we are NOW and what we should DO to continue and value the good history of the Malays.”

A plaintive voice comes from a corner of the garden. Azwan is sitting on an overturned pot, hands massaging his temples, “Where is this all going? Can somebody come up with a lessons learnt list? ……… To me this is like a virtual "teh tarik" session with people who can (speak) good English or Malay but not necessarily have any real conclusions.”  

At the mention of teh tarik, tummies rumble. Throats suddenly feel dry. Everyone starts to notice the Mamak stall across the road. No arguments here as all head for lunch, including Azwan.  

Over Nasi Beriyani and Teh Tarik, a concoction of “Oppose” and “Support” is created. The recipe is written out and there’s a collective sigh of relief at the finalized version, entitled “Press Release”.  

Lunch over, the Promudarians go back to their garden and dig out a spot for the English Medium School plant.  

They are just finishing when loud music starts blaring from the giant-sized TV. 

Jaws drop and eyes widen as bikini-clad women frolic on screen, playing on a beach somewhere. The camera pans to a giant turtle lying on the beach, supremely oblivious to the display of flesh. The screen blanks, drawing disappointed groans, presumably from nature-lovers eager to observe the Terengganu leatherback on big-screen TV.  

In the center of the garden now stands a plant with cherry-red flowers. Someone had cheekily draped an itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie yellow polka dot bikini top over its branches. Time to decide whether To Bikini or Not To Bikini.  

<To be continued next issue>