Low Thia Khiang urges Govt to review bilingualism policy

BanguIzai SG

Look at how PERALIHAN students are prejudiced in Malaysia

Just another simple blogger (no political agenda behind):

http://www.mamakk.com/04/malaysia/peralihan-students-tiada-harapan/

With the best attitude towards the education system, they do not have 1st language command in Malay even though they are kept for 6 years in MALAY Stream schools, in general Peralihan students are termed as "Tiada Harapan (means "No Future")" or "Removed (from mainstream)" students by the Malay-majority society.

With such a fucked-up prejudicial Malay mainstream education system and mindset, I must agree whole-heartedly with your paragraph above:

Talk to a Chinese Malaysian who studied in a Chinese school and tell me they don't feel seperated from the Malays in their country, look at the people they mix with are any significiant portions of them Malay? And you're saying there's no correlation between the language medium of the school and social seperation?

but with a twist to it, that the whole show is indeed started by the MALAYS who don't want the CHINESE to mix with them

Who is the one playing social separation now?>

Destini sg SG

Look here, we have a devotee.

Don't get me wrong, I respect different views but yours is one of unquestioning respect and admiration for a woman who has done little yet is venerated.

To you, she had done little. From my observation of materials I had read & seen over the years, she exemplified a good wife and mother as I can only aspire to be. Intelligent, careerwoman who could easily have made her voice heard, as do many wives today, in the name of gender equality, but at the expense of undermining their husbands' delicate egoes... Mrs Lee knew how to balance it all and her quiet support was what drove the dynamism that was LKY. Watching old videos of them together, the true love they shared was a sight to behold and admire....not as leaders but as human beings. So many marriages today breakdown due to misplaced pride and trying to outdo each other... therefore when we see true marital love, it is only right to recognise it. This woman came home every day during lunchbreak from her busy law firm... to have lunch with her children.... then rushed back to work. A PM's wife. How many of us working mums would do that...everyday?? Most of us relinquish our duties to the maids; and would rather spend lunchtime shopping or maybe go for quick massage or pedicure...and even on weekends, we demand "our" time, and spend a whole day playing mahjong...Yes to me, and of course to her family, Mrs Lee's contributions and acheivements are colossal and immensely appreciated.

Dalforce 25 SG

for a few years now, sprouting racist bullshit (imagine, racism between chinese dialect groups!)

What racist bullshit between dialects?

???

I keep telling people not to fight over petty issues and not to fall for Lee Kuan Yew's divide and rule tactics, not suddenly I racist?

The racist is Lee Kuan Yew lah.

Keep on spreading propaganda say what people who defend chinese rights are chauvinists. Incite the minorities to oppose them.

Then Lee Kuan Yew the peranakan keep on defending and promoting his mother tongue english not racist?

Total crap.

Dalforce 25 SG

Look at Malaysia, where Chinese schools still exist, without any political infiltration. Their standard of Chinese is very high. This is the way which we can model upon.

Malaysia can be used as a model that is true. We can have chinese language universities like in the past for higher education.

But the people trained from these universities won't support the banana party PAP.

gorgorlokaychyong SG

What racist bullshit between dialects?

???

I keep telling people not to fight over petty issues and not to fall for Lee Kuan Yew's divide and rule tactics, not suddenly I racist?

The racist is Lee Kuan Yew lah.

Keep on spreading propaganda say what people who defend chinese rights are chauvinists. Incite the minorities to oppose them.

Then Lee Kuan Yew the peranakan keep on defending and promoting his mother tongue english not racist?

Total crap.

Dalforce 25 aka Poh Ah Pak aka Vote PAP Out to Save SG: Look at your own posts, you are like LKY. Now you are the pot calling the kettle black. You are manipulative, political, hypocritical and racist.

Chicken out to admit you were Poh Ah Pak, and insinuated I am Poh Ah Pak to stop forumers to focus on your shit and said I am fishy. No way I will let that be.

Don't call LKY racist when you are one. You are against Peranakan.

Originally posted by Dalforce 25:

No, that's not the case. I only meant it as a joke, because I assumed you could take a joke. I wanted to distract the quarrel sbst275 had with me. I have no other bad intent.

Originally posted by Dalforce 25:

gorgorlokaychyong is poh ah pak? No wonder so fishy.

Dalforce 25 SG

Therefore, there is no direct correlation of whether separation = language medium of a school.

Seems like Harry Lee Kuan Yew concocted that propaganda up to use as a pretext to block mandarin as dominant language in 75% chinese populated Singapore and to promote his own mother tongue english as dominant so as to serve his own political interests and interests of the peranakans.

Mandarin was the main language used by his rivals, Barisan Socialis and others.

I said already, the language issue is a political issue, don't be fooled by Lee Kuan Yew's propaganda.

Dalforce 25 SG

You are against Peranakan.

I am against Harry Lee Kuan Yew. I am not against peranakan.

Some peranakans also despise Harry Lee Kuan Yew. We cannot lump all the peranakans together as if they are all one cohesive group. This is completely wrong.

Lee Kuan Yew is the bad egg among the peranakans for suppressing chinese dialects.

In my interpretation, the Babas' newly-published distinctions between "Straits Chinese" and "Babas" along cultural lines have to be taken seriously when accounting for the time of their appearance and the more recent past, but not further back (namely, the period preceding the Japanese Occupation).

According to the new cultural definition, a Baba should also be a Hokkien.

According to some purist Hokkien Babas, who regard themselves as true-blue Baba jati, non-Hokkien Babas are only Baba chelup.

The expression suggests that the Baba chelup are only superficially dipped in the paint of Babaness and are at best "nominal" Babas.

Apart from the conceptual history until the late '50s which contradicts such a narrow conception of a Baba, we have a few examples of prominent non-Hokkien Babas.

First and foremost, there is Hakka Baba Lee Kuan Yew (who regards himself as a Baba only technically).

Others are the Melaka dondang sayang singer and serunee player Yeo Kim Swee, who is a Hainanese Baba, and Ambassador to Germany Walter Woon, who is a Cantonese Baba.

http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg01319.html

gorgorlokaychyong SG

I am against Harry Lee Kuan Yew. I am not against peranakan.

Some peranakans also despise Harry Lee Kuan Yew.

Don't deny, your posts tell it all. You think people here reading your posts are all retarded !

Dalforce 25 SG

Don't deny, your posts tell it all. You think people here reading your posts are all retarded !

If they think that I am against peranakans, then they have misinterpret my intent.

gorgorlokaychyong SG

If they think that I am against peranakans, then they have misinterpret my intent.

You are means you are don't always give lame excuse people misinterpret your intent. So cowardly not to admit!

gorgorlokaychyong SG

There are still some singaporeans who still buy the propaganda from local media which LKY has made them to be under him. Of course when one is under the boss you think they dare do things against him. Think, think real hard, use working brain to think!

Rock^Star SG

Well, one end of the Western world probably couldn't understand the spoken English from the other end. Hell, people from Beijing have problems understanding the Mandarin from the Shanxi province or Sichuan.

Again, it is nothing that can't be resolved after just a month of mixing around with them.

One month? Maybe you're talking about elementary conversational chinese. Or they could be using simple language so that you can understand them.

charlize SG

It's good to learn 2 languages.

Or 3 or 4.

nrapmai SG

"Opposition leader Low Thia Khiang on Friday urged the Government to review its bilingualism policy, by focusing on teaching mother tongues better through deeper appreciation of cultures.

One way he suggested is to promote a deeper appreciation of each ethnic group's culture.

Mr Low said it was necessary to do so because the government policy has eroded the ability among Chinese Singaporeans to read and write proficiently in the mother tongue.

Without changes on this front, Mr Low said it could affect Singapore's ability to compete globally, given that many youth in other countries are becoming effectively bilingual and could exploit opportunities in a rising China." Cant find full article.

Most Singaporeans, including myself are effectively bilingual. Low seems to promote Mandarin a bit too much, don't you think? The truth is, he can't speak English well at all. Perhaps that is why he wants to promote 'effective bilingualism' (i.e. knowing Chinese) among all Singaporeans.

Bilingualism is good. Knowing more languages open up more doors of opportunity for your future.

Not knowing more language, at most can only become struggling MP for Opposition Parties.

What if the Parliament suddenly passed a law that stated "All future PM must be Bilingual"?

Ohh...then cannot become PM liao....TRAGIC ~~!!!!

Rooney9 SG

Bilingualism is good. Knowing more languages open up more doors of opportunity for your future.

Not knowing more language, at most can only become struggling MP for Opposition Parties.

What if the Parliament suddenly passed a law that stated "All future PM must be Bilingual"?

Ohh...then cannot become PM liao....TRAGIC ~~!!!!

are you parn

Siliconchip SG

are you parn

Oh my god don't remind me of that tranny.

Stevenson101 SG

One month? Maybe you're talking about elementary conversational chinese. Or they could be using simple language so that you can understand them.

Obviously a month isn't enough to start going deep into philosophically and technically complex discussions but it is not exactly as bad as you seemed to be put it (Of course, i could misunderstood the degree of which you meant)

But from my experience it's more of an adjustment rather than any huge wall, learning how they pronounce different words and the slangs they like to use and slowly getting used to them. A month is not an unreasonable estimate to establish a decent communication over a cup of coffee(or chinese tea). Sure they find it funny how we pronounce different words differently but so far i have not encountered any real challenges to talking with someone from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Inner Mongolia.

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