Kash’s World

Like I said in my earlier post, it’s not easy to guess why a person is saying something when you don’t know the person and that’s one mistake the Shuzeng blog writer makes. At the outset, I must say that I don’t know him or her and thus I am going to try not to make any conclusions about the writer (I hope I succeed on this point!) except that I will take the liberty of calling him or her Shuzheng.

In one of the management (or was it motivational?) books I’ve read, the writer tells the story of a man in a train who was completely annoyed by the antics of three rowdy children and more so by the seeming inaction of the father who did not make any attempts to stop his children from misbehaving.

That man sat there fuming until the father suddenly turned to him and said that he did not have the heart to stop his children from having fun because their mother had just died. What wonders a change of perspective could do. The feelings of that man immediately went from contempt to compassion.

On to Shuzheng’s post.

Shuzheng starts by asking rhetorically what kind of culture is a language-less culture which he accuses me of advocating. But I never advocated that. All I said was that it may be educational to see how other countries manage to preserve culture and I showed some proof that Singapore Tamil culture did not appear to have diminished even though there appeared to be no Tamil language national schools there.

The point I was making was the issues of education and preservation of cultures need to be tied together and that we should explore other ways to see how the objectives could be achieved.

And why should I have no stake in either of these cultures as he proclaims so forthrightly. That’s completely wrong. A little bit of geography might help the writer understand that Punjab, the land where my forefathers came from a long time ago, is in India and on that count, I am as Indian as any other Malaysian Indian. What the writer also could not know is that my wife is Chinese, giving me a stake in that issue if it was ever needed, as I believe any Malaysian has a stake in these issues, no matter their ethnic backgrounds because it affects us all.

‘Am I an Anglophile?’, he asks. Honestly I don’t know if I am. If it means I speak English most of the time, then I am guilty. But I care two hoots that it was handed down by our colonial masters. I just happen to believe that it is the most important language today in the world. The next most important, by the way, I believe is Mandarin, which I would have loved to learn when I was young. I hope Shuzheng is not surprised at this admission by a ‘champion of language-less culture’.

He may also be surprised to know that all my children went or will go to Chinese primary schools. My children speak fluent Mandarin when my wife and I don’t. Our reasons for sending them there were because we wanted them to learn a third language (don’t forget BM, Shuzheng) that would be useful. And Mandarin is a pretty useful language to know.

In his post, Shuzheng continues to mix up culture and education and asks why not then have a Malay school system here or a Chinese system in Singapore. That is my point actually. I believe that cultures can survive that – as proof I offer the fact that I love Bhangra songs just as much as the Punjabi that went to a Punjabi language govt school.

However, and this is what Shuzheng is probably worried about – I don’t share many commonly held views about culture and languages. I believe culture evolves and that language too is a medium for people to communicate and that the best one should be used. (I hope to make a separate post on the subject of language one day soon). My memory is horrendous – I actually made a posting on this subject a full year ago – read my take on language)

In my thinking, what’s wrong with a Malaysian culture emerging, one which incorporates all the best points of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Kadazan, Iban, Orang Asli and the rest of our ethnic heritage. On that count I am a firm Bangsa Malaysian.

History has shown that languages have risen and fallen; cultures and civilizations have done the same. I believe we are building a world civilization and the forces taking us towards that are strong and inevitable. But I don’t presume to know where we will end up. Will English be the world language or will it be Mandarin? I don’t know and I am willing to work towards either or a new one. But these kinds of changes takes time and are not measured by our lifetimes.

I don’t know why Shuzheng continues to assert that I said language is not part of culture – of course it is. I only questioned if culture preservation can be done by other means beyond language based schools and that, I believe is a valid one. On a side note, I think proponents of any particular cause need to develop the ability to accept that others may have different views and even more the ability to dispassionately examine opposing views. When we search for truth, one needs to be able to let go of entrenched beliefs and examine the possibility that other views might be closer to the truth. I am not saying my views here are right. I am making a general statement on how one should approach the quest for truth in any subject.

And what is so wrong by me stating the obvious – that Tamils in Singapore have done well by going to English based schools. Since I have an open mind, I looked for evidence and I found that evidence, admittedly in my own small way (I did start my letter to Malaysiakini by saying I am no expert on this field). Is the English system superior and does that make me an Anglophile? I don’t know. Actually I think the way education is done in Chinese schools is better in some areas especially the way they promote discipline and hard work (which is why I sent my kids there).

But in terms of language – I think English is the way to go forward if we want to do well in the global economy. Shuzheng says, Singh loves an Anglo-Saxon culture, that is, he is an Anglophile.” No, in all honesty, I just love life and I just want the world to be a better place. If one language and one educational system can help build unity, I am all for it.

I think one needs to understand the definition of language and its place in society.

Am I confused and am I a ‘poor chap’ as Shuzheng asks at the end of his letter? I certainly don’t think so. Instead I am a thinking person in that I am always examining issues and that I am willing to change my views if I find a better one. That is what intelligence is all about. One person is never the sole custodian of truth. In fact it is the clash of opinions that will bring out the truth but to do that one must leave behind agendas and closely held beliefs.

Now excuse me while I go enjoy some rending ayam (Selamat Hari Raya to all Muslims!) and kuihs. I hope that it does not affect my ‘Anglophile-ness’ or ‘Indian-ness”

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