“Can balance be found between modernity and traditionalism?” this are the question ask by Dr. Raihanah in her essay Celebrating Malaysia Voices: A Multicultural Perspective. It’s a question that needs to be answered through out the process of nation building. It’s a question of subjectivity with a very subjective answer as the answer would change as time pass.
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Too many consideration need to be taken in perspective in the matter of striking a balance of traditionalism and modernity. Just to name a few, the issue of western culture invading the east, globalization in terms of technology which has a strong capability of wiping out our traditional values and traditonal gadgets, feminism – “how much is too much?” which also has the capability of restructuring the traditional framework of an Asian family which is known to be patriarchal.
Too many consideration need to be taken in perspective in the matter of striking a balance of traditionalism and modernity. Just to name a few, the issue of western culture invading the east, globalization in terms of technology which has a strong capability of wiping out our traditional values and traditonal gadgets, feminism – “how much is too much?” which also has the capability of restructuring the traditional framework of an Asian family which is known to be patriarchal.
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Raihanah’s essay does trigger much discussion into many different discourses but this time I will like to write my thoughts about the vernacular school in Malaysia.
Raihanah’s essay does trigger much discussion into many different discourses but this time I will like to write my thoughts about the vernacular school in Malaysia.
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Now, how is that related with her question of balancing modernity and traditionalism? My statement is simply this: the vernacular school - that is the Chinese and the Tamil school are in fact an institution of the ‘tradition’ of its respective ethnic.
Now, how is that related with her question of balancing modernity and traditionalism? My statement is simply this: the vernacular school - that is the Chinese and the Tamil school are in fact an institution of the ‘tradition’ of its respective ethnic.
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The establishment of such academic institution was primarily to achieve their objective of combating changes and preserving their relationship with their motherland – China and India. The Chinese and the Indians were immigrants brought in by their colonial masters during the colonial era. They (immigrants), in order to maintain their ethnicity, restructured the setting of the foreign land to become a place which are more familiarize to them. This would mean establishing their own school which maintains their traditions.
The establishment of such academic institution was primarily to achieve their objective of combating changes and preserving their relationship with their motherland – China and India. The Chinese and the Indians were immigrants brought in by their colonial masters during the colonial era. They (immigrants), in order to maintain their ethnicity, restructured the setting of the foreign land to become a place which are more familiarize to them. This would mean establishing their own school which maintains their traditions.
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In my honest opinion, when the Chinese and the Indians were enrolled in to be a citizen of Malaya, such vernacular school should also be enrolled to become a national school, meaning restructuring their academic curriculum / method / policy. Aggressive as it may sound, it is by no means to indicate racial cleansing or radical assimilation towards the minority.
In my honest opinion, when the Chinese and the Indians were enrolled in to be a citizen of Malaya, such vernacular school should also be enrolled to become a national school, meaning restructuring their academic curriculum / method / policy. Aggressive as it may sound, it is by no means to indicate racial cleansing or radical assimilation towards the minority.
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The preservation of the vernacular school was merely a political agenda. It was the best and lucrative ways to draw votes for General Elections back in the 50s; I guess it still has not change, new vernacular schools were built from time to time (obviously when general elections are coming).
The preservation of the vernacular school was merely a political agenda. It was the best and lucrative ways to draw votes for General Elections back in the 50s; I guess it still has not change, new vernacular schools were built from time to time (obviously when general elections are coming).
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Modernity needs to be part of the vernacular school system. Modern – adapting and relating to the present time – vernacular schools need to adapt with the need of the nation that change from time to time, that means to sacrifice some of its tradition value of the school, e.g: language. In our political situation here in Malaysia, racial base politics are slowly losing its popularity grip. Why is it so? – Plainly because racial politics is a traditional paradigm. It’s a matter of time vernacular school will lose its significance.
Modernity needs to be part of the vernacular school system. Modern – adapting and relating to the present time – vernacular schools need to adapt with the need of the nation that change from time to time, that means to sacrifice some of its tradition value of the school, e.g: language. In our political situation here in Malaysia, racial base politics are slowly losing its popularity grip. Why is it so? – Plainly because racial politics is a traditional paradigm. It’s a matter of time vernacular school will lose its significance.
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Vernacular school needs to be injected with some sense of modernity. It needs to be gradually phasing out to become a “Sekolah Wawasan” which I seriously believe such vernacular school has the capability to become one. It needs to seriously consider using the national language to teach. I do not mean to forgo the lingua franca of the minority. The minority languages can still be learned by having classes for students who wish to learn.
Vernacular school needs to be injected with some sense of modernity. It needs to be gradually phasing out to become a “Sekolah Wawasan” which I seriously believe such vernacular school has the capability to become one. It needs to seriously consider using the national language to teach. I do not mean to forgo the lingua franca of the minority. The minority languages can still be learned by having classes for students who wish to learn.
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Diversify the school by encouraging more students from other ethnics to join in. Vernacular School has an awful label – vernacular school is also known as the Segregated School. Such system of segregation was mention by J.S Furnivall* - “Mix but do not combine” (Furnivall 1939:446). He was describing a society under the system of the colonizer. Not much had changed since we freed our self from the British.
Diversify the school by encouraging more students from other ethnics to join in. Vernacular School has an awful label – vernacular school is also known as the Segregated School. Such system of segregation was mention by J.S Furnivall* - “Mix but do not combine” (Furnivall 1939:446). He was describing a society under the system of the colonizer. Not much had changed since we freed our self from the British.
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Striking a balance between modernity and traditionalism is a tricky business. Definitely such idea cannot be accepted by many traditionalists but it is an idea that has a natural flow of direction – everything changes, nothing is constant, everything evolves with time; and vernacular school is one of them. So there's no point to resist it.
Striking a balance between modernity and traditionalism is a tricky business. Definitely such idea cannot be accepted by many traditionalists but it is an idea that has a natural flow of direction – everything changes, nothing is constant, everything evolves with time; and vernacular school is one of them. So there's no point to resist it.
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*Furnivall, J.S. 1939. Netherlands India: A study of Plural Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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