MCA requests more SRJK(C) for 9MP

For the upcoming 9th Malaysian Plan (the master plan for our country that is formulated every 5 years), MCA has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi (affectionally known as Pak Lah). It seems noble at first glance. MCA is doing what it is programmed to do: to work for and uphold the interests and rights of the Malaysian Chinese community. So here's a quick look at the contents of this 7-point "memorandum".

• Increasing competitiveness of the Malaysian economy within the globalised world environment
• Revitalizing the agriculture sector
• Promoting the growth of small-and-medium-scale enterprises
• Greater adoption of information communication technology to improve national productivity
• Enhancing human capital
• Appeals for more Chinese schools in densely-populated areas and resolving issues affecting such schools
• Nurturing a caring society and with emphasis on high moral values, respect for religious freedom of others and helping the disadvantaged

It is interesting to note that chief among the 7-prong strategy outlined by MCA, the one that was given much media airtime is the issue of the National type schools (SRJK). In Malaysia, the right to education in the mother tongue is guaranteed by constitution, thus the existence of the so-called duality of the education system. There is the SRJK(C) - Chinese type schools - and the SRJK(T) - the Tamil type schools.

One wonders why this issue is so sensationalized, and to top it off, it was initiated by a newspaper which has influence from the Malay-arm of the BN alliance (UMNO). Wouldn't this internal bickering between UMNO and MCA be seen as a sign of weakness of the National Front? Apparently not. The MCA controlled newspaper retaliates with more rhetoric, and the public buys it. What was seen as an education issue suddenly becomes a National issue. Pak Lah specifically mentions that the Chinese schools are a direct threat to National Unity. He akins it to two people treading parallel lines, both moving forward but never meeting. Such is his narrow perspective of the SRJK(C).

But hold on a second. Just what are these national type schools? Are they a total alternative to National Schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan)? Or are they some "variation" of the staple of education that is provided by the National Education Policy? Let's clarify. The SRJK (Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan) is a school that essentially uses the same syllabus as the SK (Sekolah Kebangsaan), share the same examinations, subject to the same education policy. The only difference? Medium of instruction. SRJK(C) uses Mandarin as the lingua franca, while SRJK(T) uses Tamil as the language of choice.

So what is the problem?

There is a general perception that SRJK(C) are exclusively Chinese. The population of a typical SRJK(C) may consist of 90% Chinese, and 10% non-Chinese. This is obviously seen as a threat to National Unity. Going by the precedence that the government looks at form over function, they see a congregation of a single race in a single location as big trouble for the "special" Malay race. But how do they explain the fact that non-Chinese are also enrolling into these SRJK(C), the so-called "centers of racial disharmony"?

It appears that we have lost sight of the big picture. SRJK's are different from SK's only by language of instruction. Yet, we remain overprotective of the so-called heritage, the pride of our cultural roots, and, above all, the desire to ensure that "my race remains superior to yours". If we could look beneath the skin, we see the same flesh. So, if language could modify a person's behaviour and choices to suddenly "hate" the "different" people, then I wonder why the same logic couldn't be applied for Full Boarding Schools (Sekolah Berasrama, e.g. the MRSM) which specially cater - not by language - for only a "certain" race.

So we are all talking in circles and bound by hypocrisy. This logic is akin to the following statement:

You can do it any way, as long as it's my way.