LKY holds power and usage of English are two different
issues.
But if Barisan Socialists come to power?
At the same time, the
debate on the issue of the National Language came to the
fore.
It is now conceded that the left wing trade unions under Lim Chin
Siong, took a decision
early on in support of Malay as the national language and at
the same time arguing for a reduction in the role of the
English language and the elevation of the languages of the
local communities, principally Chinese and Tamil.
Lim’s role in this has been acknowledged by Usman and Samad Ismail
and others.
The left wing support for the
use of Malay as the national
language and the common lingua franca,
created a strong surge of interest
for the learning of Malay.
http://s-pores.com/2008/01/Usman/
In colonial
Singapore, the nearest thing to a
common language had been Bazaar Malay, a form of
Malay with simplified grammar and a very restricted vocabulary that
members of many
ethnic groups used to communicate in the
marketplace.
http://countrystudies.us/singapore/20.htm
