English & BM & the Malay Country Bumpkins

Teaching of Math and Science in BM


Btw, RM is not Ringgit Malaysia here but Rural Malays.

Now, let this be seen as a non-partisan's point of view. Just my opinion based on personal experience.

When I first heard of it, I did not believe. Then I read about it and saw it on TV - still could not believe. Even a clown will know that this is a puerile, moronic step backwards - for the Malays. As if they were not backwards enough. Just when the Malays - especially in the kampongs - were getting the hang of it - struggling to climb out of the bottomless pit created for them - reaching the top and trying to get into the English system - and doing very well I might add ( I was teaching these Malays in a kampong ), there comes this huge foot that stamped their weathered hands which threw them back into the abyss. Putting them in is easy .... climbing out of it is almost impossible.

I was pulling them out of the pit and you damn people kicked them back in. Damn you! I am a damn 'keling' and I tried so hard for months to help them and you destroyed it all in a day. You damn hypocrites.

Hey, a 'keling' gave up so much to help your kind - Melayus.

I was teaching English Language at a school in a little kampong, to about 150 students - they lacked confidence and I will honestly say that they were ill-equipped with the basic knowledge of the English language. The reason is obvious. Who converses in English in that kampong? Another reason is ... I was the only qualified English Language teacher there. The rest were, sadly, not competent. Heck, not even qualified to teach the language.

It does not take a Linguist to teach them English. I am a qualified, bona-fide English language teacher. Because of a close Malay friend's plea, I went there to teach - my fee was a mere RM20 per student. I could have made three times that amount had I stayed home.

Some avaricious ones were giving private tuition for RM150. And I saw what they were doing - blood sucking unscrupulous unqualified 'English' teachers. I saw the ridiculous mistakes they made on the students' exercise books.

I had to undo what these 'teachers' did. I had to undo the damage that was already done.

Sometimes - all too often, the parents do not pay but I went on. As long as there were a handful of students who were really interested I taught and I taught them well.

By the way, I was the only Indian in that place. Only after a few months the curious questions were not posed on me.

It was a formidable task but I rallied on. I wanted to prove that these kampong kids were not stupid and given the right kind of motivation and a proper English language teacher, will do well in the language. Gradually, attendance dropped - the parents could not afford even that RM20.

Those who could, attended class. These were the students who attended my class religiously and learned the language. As time passed, month after month, they improved - lots of drilling and speaking in class. They were actually having fun learning the language. There were times when I discarded the book and allowed them to just talk - in English as much as possible.

All they need is a teacher with patience ( I am not gloating ) and perseverance. The understanding of the language is in them - all that was needed was to extract it from them. They are smart - as smart as the slick city Malays.

After a few months, these kids were improving by the day. They had their basics and now were on to bigger things like writing an essay and speaking - which, after two months, was not a problem for them. I am not saying they were speaking fluently but they were not ashamed to speak up and definitely were much better than when I first started teaching them.

It was sad really, these kids were really interested in learning English language and they were improving tremendously.

What really surprised me was - their parents.

Every single parent came to me and told me they knew how important English Language is! That took me by surprise. I thought it was out of necessity that they sent them to me. But I spent time talking to them after class and not one disagreed with me. Actually, they were going on about the role of English language today and how important it is. They were very grateful that I came to this small place to educate their kids in the language.

They are simple people. Average income of about RM1,000. Some richer, some poorer. It wasn't the money so much anymore for me - it was the challenge and the happiness to see that my students were doing well in the language.

Of course news goes around in a kampong and when I am in the 'town' ( just a row of shops ), everyone recognized and respected me as 'cikgu'.

You may say 'these kids already posses an adequate knowledge of the language' - no they did not .... it was not a secondary school. It was a Primary school. Standard 1 to 6. I did well to groom them and get them ready for the following year - they were eager to meet the following year's challenge as they were confident and adequately eqipped.

I pride myself knowing that I could make even the most introverted student to talk. This I did. At the end of the year, only a handful of students turned up. These were the 'hardcore' learners who eventually went on to score good grades in the language and some were made prefects and monitors. They walked tall - confidence emanating from them. The rest - 'balik kampong'- a nearby kampong.

Some of these students were by now ready to face the 'challenges' ahead of them - the secondary school. They were adequately equipped with a sound knowledge of the English language and were ready face Science and Math which were going to be taught in English.

No they were not exactly fluent in the language but the transformation was incredible. They were ready.

Isn't it sad that these Malays were actually progressing only to be stopped from further progressing into the real world.

With kampong parents supporting them and the teaching of Math and Science in English, these kids and their parents pleaded that I continue teaching there.

But my promise to my friend was till the end of the year - even if I was earning RM100 a month, I plodded on because the handful of kids were interested and were actually liking it - every once in a while, they jovially spoke English amongst themselves along with the errors - errors that even the city folks make.

I was seriously thinking of going back there to teach English again. And when I heard this ludicrous proposal to regress I simply gave up.

Of course I could make a lot of money now - even open up a tuition center - after all, even more parents will send their kids to me and will be more than willing to pay much more this time around.

I would be a rich man if I did that. The only English Language tuition center in that town and that district. I made my name and news spreads faster in a smaller place.

So, to BN - more like UMNO, this is not a personal attack. I gave up so much to go to a small place to teach your kind - Melayus, the English Language - why this outrageous retrospective proposal? Why?

Your own people - the Malays - are the victims yet again. Isn't there anyone in BN who has a far-sighted vision? Does anyone in BN care about the rural Malays?

And where are you - UMNO? You are supposed to be the caretakers of the Malays. To educate them and listen to their grouses and act on it - in this case, do away with the switch. UMNO will always remain silent on such matters.

They are more interested in what and who is halal and haram. All you need is to look into a mirror for the answers.

Yes I am annoyed - furious, with this stupid moronic idea of switching back - you are pushing these poor rural Malays into an abyss of doom.

So what the bloody heck do you damn idiots think I am supposed to feel? Hey, I gave months and months of my life trying to educate these Malays! And I succeeded. Damn you bunch of munafiqs. Try and understand that. Do what you want to me - for trying so hard to help your kind - Melayus.

I condemn the BN and its total lack of wisdom - you do not care about the rural Malays - you do not give a crap about them and their future. Let them stay uneducated - you stand to gain. Send one of your MPs there to make an appearance and they are so happy .... that you care. You disgust me. I have seen an MP from Gemas making her appearance there - with her bodyguards - walking like she owns the town. I was so tempted to ask her what has she done for the Malays in that village .... what has BN done for them?

UMNO is as silent as a churchmouse on this matter. I challenge you to go to this place and ask the parents if they are in favor of the switch.

But you UMNO hotshots have other more important things to do - the latest being raiding stores that sell beer. How shallow can you get. In line with that, ban selling pork, close 'sports' places like Toto and Magnum - in Muslim majority areas ... but keep consuming 'tapai' - a favorite of the Malays.

Ban Muslims from going to Genting Highlands - it's as good as touching a bottle of beer- haram.

The poor Malays will, as long as there are ignorant people or people pretending to be ignorant, continue hawking.

You 'gave in' because a few thousand uneducated moronic Malays held a demonstration?
Well, these ignorant, beyond redemption rempit Malays with their heads whirling in Mary Jane do not represent ALL the Malays.

I feel sorry for some of these Malays, who actually believe that they have UMNO protecting them - safegurding their rights as the 'master race' in this country called 1 Malaysia. Little do they know that they too are essentially second class citizens. Sidelined suckers. Marginalized morons.

I can proudly say that I care more for the poor Malays here than you do. I also did more than the whole lot of you walking around gold plated massive Corridors.

I still send money to my Malay friend - he needs money to support his family. He is one of those Malays who does not have any cables to pull.

I'll tell you something. Most of these Malays are not morons. They are intelligent and have more foresight than a lot that walk through the Corridors of Power.

For he's a jolly good fellow - by RPK

Dear Pete,

In all fairness, I believe you were rather emotional about when you wrote that article. 

Let's agree to disagree.

I was rather surprised to read that. Perhaps I did not read everyone's comment - I was away from the computer for a long time.

A cardinal rule is - never generalize - not that I am saying that you did. If you did then you are terribly wrong and not the RPK that I know about.

I gave credit where it was due. An example was when PAS went to Imbi road - doesn't matter if they had an ultimate motive for doing so. But the act itself was applaudable. 

But that does not mean I am an ardent fan of PAS. I am totally opposed to their ideology and will never vote for them.

It's the same with BN. When BN does good, I appreciate the good that they do - especially the person - but rarely do I read about the good that BN does.

I do not slam BN just for the heck of it. They have done some good - past and present.

Most Malays do not seem to realize that Big M has spoon fed them. That was a mistake. But that is another issue.

Right now, this is one article that I do not agree with. As Big M said - no one is above the law. I believe he did the right thing by enforcing that. I applaud him for that but that also does not mean I agree with everything that he has done.

Again like we mentioned - shall we agree to disagree? 

More to follow.

Another Malay-Muslim family

I lived with a Malay family ( not the same one I wrote an article about ), for the past few months. The head of the house - the man ... hitherto known as En Zi, is actually a nice guy is a close friend and took nothing from me ... all he wanted,according to him, was to help me because the Koran says so.

Zi is simple in his ways. A man of few words.

His wife, hereon referred to as Pn Zah, is very unlike him in her ways.

Zah is a woman of many words.

I am not writing about their lives but I shall be writing about my experience with them and their family with emphasis on my discussions about Islam with Zi.

I was agahast when Zi told me finally, after much 'arguement' about some Muslims misinterpretating the words of the Koran that ...

Now, this is based on a true story - my personal experience.

Apo nak dikato?

The saga will continue...

Zi told me ... after trying for a long time to have me converted and realizing that I was not impressed with the Islam that he was propagating ... with a wry smile that ... Muslims are the chosen people!

So why did he allow me to stay at his place? He seemed very genuine about all that. Why did he allow me to have dinner and other meals with him and his family? Well, it wasn't free meals - I [paid for it along with room and board. But in all honesty, he would have allowed me to stay and eat there even if I had not paid. Or would he have?

Yes he was trying hard to arrange a marriage for me - to a Malay Muslim woman but never did goad me into it. He was hoping because in all fairness, he did like me and I liked him too - a good true friend.

I told him that he was terribly wrong to have that kind of unhealthy thoughts in his mind and gave him the reasons - reasons which he of course did not accept.

Here is one man, a good man, a good Malay Muslim - and I mean that - but why does he harbor that thought? I can only hope that it's a fleeting thought but I doubt it.

I still see Zi and still give him money - that's when I go to his place. He gave me his account number and I still do intend to send him money when I can. After all, he was kind to me and took me in and treated me like one of the family. He still does.

The point is, if a person like Zi has the attitude that all Muslims are the chosen people, then I wonder how many more Malay Muslims think along the same lines.

So, is Zi a true Malay Muslim? He believes he is. I think not. But I can truly say that he is probably the best Malay I have ever come across. No regrets meeting him.

To have a kafir under the same roof and yet believe that Malay Muslims are the chosen lot is a contradiction of sorts.

I wish you well Zi my friend.

Yoga and You - burgers and pizzas

Dear Diary,

So now Yoga is banned ... for the Muslims. So what else is new. I find this so damn ridiculous. Actually it is a joke.

I read and know that there are many kinds of Yoga. For heaven's sake - this is Yoga for Health. Do those Malay Muslims teaching Yoga on TV say any Mantras before they start teaching the art of Yoga?

So if Yoga is part of the Hindu culture then the authorities have a lot on their hands. Get busy - start banning a lot more 'unislamic' stuff. For starters, ban Muslims from watching Indian ( HINDUstani ) movies. Let's face it. So many things are taken from the Indian culture.

Indian culture has crept and is creeping into the lives of the Malays now. I find this a good thing as what better way for a Malay to understand the Indian culture.

We should encourage this and for all races to know about each others' cultures - most importantly that of the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Please do not say we should understand the cultures of every race in this country then start doing silly things.

Indian words are used quite non-chalantly - doa, maaf, almari, jawab, ghazal, the list goes on. Ban them all.

Allah is an Arabic term for God but that is alright. They are Muslims. My point here is yet another word is extracted from another language.

Also ban all English terminologies - first dipopularkan then ban-kan all these.
The 'bersanding' ceremony is based on the Indian culture. Ban it.

And why stop there? Heck, McD is American! Totally 'unislamic'. Ban it. Along with other Western fast food chains - pizzas and the like. Ban them all.

Shirt and trousers, western dresses, pants, jackets, lounge suits and hey ... jeans - ban them all ... because the Malays are all Muslims.

How silly can one get. I am appalled by all these trivia. And we have a vision - to be an industralized country by 2020. With a psyche like this, I cannot fathom a Vision 2020.

I have spoken to Malay Muslims about this and they too do not know what to say - some just smile and others laugh about it and continue wearing their jeans and T-shirts and eat burgers and pizzas.

Show the world how well all races are getting on via TV commercials other media but all this reminds me of a Krakatoa. I hope, like the draconian ISA, racism will be like an extinct volacano.

Incidently, I read the Harakah and strangely enough actually read that kind person who led a delegation to Imbi road to feed the 'needy'. This is the same person who strongly stated his support and comdemnation of Muslims practising Yoga For Health.

And as always I pleasantly read the open-minded opinion of the Mufti of Perlis.

Mumbai massacre

Dear Diary,

It is with great sadness that I read about this despicable act of terrorism. This time, India suffered. A place that harbours millions of Muslims ( more than twice the population of Malaysia ). I can only hope that the Hindus remain patient knowing that it is not the Muslims who acted in a barbaric manner but it was those deviationist Muslims who are ignorant of the Quran and its teachings and interpret the Quran to suit their needs and shout 'Allah hu Akbar' ( God is great ) and use HIS name to slaughter innocent people. Yes, God is indeed great... all merciful, all forgiving but never take HIM for granted and above all, do not use HIS name in vain.

For a kafir like me ( I was called this many times in RPK's site ), I can only sympathize with these misled 'martyrs'. They have their minds polluted with teachings of unislamic values.

I refuse to believe that the Koran says that you are allowed to kill innocent people. Terrorism is ubiquitous today. It does not confine itself to the Middle East. It is prevalent from the U.S. to Indonesia.

To condemn and deny any links with terrorists is not enough. Implement the ISA on people like these - that should be the only role of the ISA, not arresting innocent people who are trying to educate the population.

Thinking and planning on attracting 20 million tourists is a positive step but how do these 20 million tourists feel about going to a place which is run by Malays who are so sure that terrorism will never happen here? This confidence is strange and diabolical.

I know of many who are having doubts about coming here for their vacation. After hearing about the Mumbai massacre, what can a foreigner think about going to a Malay dominated place?

Allow me to emphasize that I believe there is a difference between a Malay and a Muslim. The same with being an Indian and a Hindu or a Chinese and a Christian.

... to be cont'd

New Articles coming up soon-er or later

Hi all, as you would probably know, I have been away from the computer for about 8 long months.

I will be posting a couple of more articles soon.

I don't even know what the latest news is. This is the first time I have logged on after a hiatus of more than 8 months.

Hope all is well with Pete and the rest of you.

Later.

anon

Malaysian Food - a traveller's tale

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - With ingredients such as high cholesterol coconut milk, clarified butter and sugar cane, the traditional Malaysian diet may be among the most unhealthy cuisines in the world.
But chefs in food-mad Malaysia, which touts itself as an Asian gastronomic heaven, are reinventing local cuisine due to a sharp jump in cases of obesity, diabetes and strokes in the Southeast Asian Muslim country.
Fattening coconut milk, an essential ingredient in Malaysia's spicy curries, is being shunted aside for nutritious soy milk. White rice is being replaced by brown rice and greens are playing a more dominant role on the menus of local restaurants.

Malaysian celebrity chef Ismail Ahmad has changed the menu of his restaurant Rebung in an old bungalow in Kuala Lumpur to include more vegetables and less meat.
"People want to look good, they want to look healthy," said the 47-year old who has added braised tofu, ferns and beansprouts in chili paste to his menu.
"Before, 70 percent of my buffet dishes was meat. Now I use more roots and vegetables," added Ismail, who said he cut sugar and rice from his diet after a battle with gout.
From fine dining lobster veloute to rice flour noodles fried in lard from street hawkers, food in Malaysia is often high in cholesterol and fat, with copious amounts of sugar and salt.

In a country where eating is a national pastime, Malaysians routinely drive miles in search of deep-fried dim sum in the northern town of Ipoh or curried offal rice in the island state of Penang.

But healthy eating is catching on.
Diets to lose weight and get healthy are popular, ranging from the classic low-carbohydrates, high-protein diets to fad diets of eating certain foods or adding herbal medicines to dishes.

At Purple Cane, an eatery in the Malaysian capital, tea is an ingredient in all its dishes ranging from fish to prawns.
"Our customers like something that's not oily," said K C Tan, a manager with the restaurant. "Tea is good for health, it brings down cholesterol and fat."

FOOD: A NATIONAL PASTIME
Malaysia has good reason to curb the widespread use of fats and sugars in local food as it has one of the highest rates of diabetes, strokes and heart disease in Southeast Asia.
In 2000, 7.6 percent of Malaysians over the age of 20, or 1.82 million people, were diabetic in a country of nearly 24 million people, according to the World Health Organisation. At around the same time, 6.7 percent of the population of Indonesia and 3.8 percent of the population of Thailand had diabetes.

Experts blame rising affluence, a sedentary lifestyle and a growing trend of working mothers for the rise in health problems.
"Generally people are eating more and eating higher-caloried food," said Tan Yoke Hwa, President of the Malaysian Dieticians' Association.
"We need to have more aggressive education and to impart information to the community, getting them to make the change."

More than two-thirds of Malaysians over 18 do not exercise, government statistics show. The number of overweight Malaysian adults rose to 29.1 per cent last year from 16.6 per cent in 1996, while obesity increased from 4.4 per cent to 14 per cent during the same period.
At the same time, public healthcare costs rose from 1 billion ringgit ($297.4 million) in 1983 to 6.3 billion ringgit in 2003. Health spending is expected to exceed 10 billion ringgit by 2010.
Food is plentiful, cheap and easily available in Malaysia. Night markets and hawkers on bicycles serve fast-food meals, while 24-hour eateries offer Indian chapati bread and ginger tea for anyone feeling peckish at three in the morning.

To deter the consumption of unhealthy foods, the government has banned fast food eateries from advertising during children's television programmes. Fast food chains are also required to detail the cholesterol, fat and sugar content of their items.
Chef Bong Jun Choi has noticed a change in eating patterns, with diners requesting less meat.
"Now people are more concerned about being healthy," said Bong who serves up Cantonese food at a five-star hotel in the Malaysian capital.
But not everyone is ready to give up traditional Malaysian comfort foods.
"Of course not," said S.C. Wong, a 34-year old lawyer, scoffing at the idea of trading oily fried noodles for a salad.
"I love food. I'm going to die anyway so I might as well eat hearty."
(Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn, editing by Megan Goldin)
=======================================================

Comment:

Well, this is a typical 'gourmet' tourist who authored this article. I would not jump to any conclusions and arrive at a benighted deus ex machina that Malaysian diet may be the most unhealthy cuisines in the world as this traveler did. This is a traveler's tale.

Malaysia does not tout itself as a gastronomical heaven - the tourists publicize it as so, and rightly so. That is why we have travelers who discard their diet and gorge theselves on the local food when they are here.

Who does not love eating when you have lip-smacking food?

Sure the food in Malaysia is not on the world's top ten most healthy diet spots. Then again can the author provide us with information about food in his/her her country? I have not met a person who does not love food from a place outside his/her country.

I personally love Columbian, Ethiopian, Greek, Italian, English, French and most European food. Heck, even hot dogs and burgers. I also love Asian food.

One must live in a country for a certain amount of time before one passes sweeping statements/generalizations.

You cannot do a 'research' based on a largely ephemeral journey, be it related to food or resorts. This is like a tourist who reads brochures and visits those places then writes about such places in Malaysia without knowing where the pot of gold really is.

The people of Malaysia are very conscious about diet and are consuming more greens and eating less red meat which is, I believe the 'staple' diet in the U.S.

I would like to ask the author what he/she means by "traditional" food? Do not forget that Malaysia is a pluralistic society and each ethnic group has its own cuisine.

Obesity is a global issue. It is not peculiar to one country alone.

Which country does not boast of being a haven for a bon vivant? Minus the 'fattening' ingredients, what do you call that dish?' I guess you call it salad. So you trot around the world and eat only salad?

Good food invariably comes with some caloric value. The problem in Malaysia is that fast food outlets are ubiquitous. To name a few... McDonalds, Burger King, Kenny Rogers, Pizza Hut, San Francisco Steakhouse among others and soon Roy Rogers may make it's way in here. The two big giants, Pepsi and Coke stealthily made their way in Malaysia. They are two of the best sellers in Malaysia - these are certainly not categorized as healthy food.

Vendors selling hot dogs and burgers are having a field day. This kind of food is certainly not 'traditional' to Malaysia but I would venture to say that it is quite a big part...almost part of the American culture...'traditionally' American.

This is what the government should curb. The ubiquitous Western fast food outlets.

However, parents are now discouraging children from binge eating such food - if you could call it that.

When I was in the U.S, I enjoyed BBQ sessions, red meat along with BBQ sauce. In France, I enjoyed the French cuisine. The U.S seems to delight in having BBQs whenever the sun comes up. I don't blame the people who love BBQs, I love it too but I believe like most Americans, I would certainly not make that my staple diet.

Like so, 'Malaysian' food has variety, to cater to everyone's taste buds. All things in moderation.

When on vacation, gorge and guzzle. There should be a certain amount of gluttony when traveling to countries. That is very much a part of anyone's vacation. Return and stick to your salad routine if you like.

Heck, indulge ( not overindulgence ) yourself in 'avariciously' consuming a variety of food, even high cholesterol coconut milk - after all, you are just passing through.

The author is merely whimsical and is heterodox in his/her opinions about cuisine. This is, a mediocre piece of work, lacking sadly in a thorough search of good food in the right places but that's the author's contorted perception of South East Asian cuisine.
If you have to tread on unfamiliar waters, a local well-versed guide would be useful.

Yes, you're right. This is Asia where food is spicy and scrumptious. Perhaps your insatiable appetite got the better of you when you were in Asia. You were dragged in by the aroma of appetizing food. Nothing wrong in whetting your appetite and devouring Malaysian food but remember to exercise moderation, no matter which country you are in.
Then again, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion no matter how vacuous it may be.

anon