GIVE MORE CHINESE SCHOOLS…OR WHAT?

I think the Dong Zong people and those who go to Chinese schools somehow see the word ‘moron’ tattooed on Najib’s forehead. The message the Chinese have sent Najib and Umno is that their future depends entirely on the Malays and the natives of East Malaysia. You can drop your pants and bend over and still the Chinese are not going to vote for you. In that case you are better off writing-off the Chinese and put all your eggs in the Malay basket.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dong Zong has demanded more Chinese schools (READ HERE). Dong Zong said it has submitted two memorandums to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, once in 2011 and another in 2012, asking for 45 more Chinese primary schools. Dong Zong also revealed that between 1970 and 2016, 1,600 Chinese schools were built.

In December 2014, the Telegraph (UK) reported that China was studying UK’s education system because China’s system was a bit outdated. On the other side of the coin, in July 2016, the Mail (UK) reported that half of UK primary schools are going to teach students ‘Shanghai Maths’ because British students are three years behind Chinese students. In August 2015, the Telegraph (UK) reported that British students who are taught maths and science by Chinese teachers are better than their counterparts.

Chinese pupils are better than their British counterparts in maths and science, a new experiment as part of a BBC Two programme showed (Photo: BBC)

In September 2016, the Evening Standard (UK) reported that there are no mainstream Chinese schools in the UK (compared to thousands in Malaysia) but the first one will open in September next year in West London. It will be a dual-language private school for only 200 students and the fees are going to be RM30,000 a term.

“Many Chinese parents admired traditional English emphasis on developing initiative and fostering a broad cultural education that includes sports and the arts,” said the Evening Standard (UK). “Initially pupils will learn lessons entirely in Chinese followed by the same lesson in English to reinforce what they have learned in both languages. As well as dual-language education, the school will also immerse children in Chinese culture by including martial arts as part of the PE lessons, calligraphy in the arts programme and the Chinese learning technique of ‘maths mastery’.”

Primary school children will be taught ‘Shanghai maths’ as British schools copy Chinese teaching methods in a bid to improve standards.

So there you have it. When you remove politics from education you can see that there are merits in Chinese teaching methods and there are also merits in the British education system. And when you take some of the strengths of the Chinese teaching methods and merge them with the strengths of the British education system, you get a win-win situation. And Britain and China are experimenting with this to come out with a new hybrid system that borrows from both Britain and China.

Now, why can’t the Malaysian education department or the ministry do something like this? The Chinese education system (or at least the teaching methods in some subjects) does have some strengths (plus some weaknesses as well) while the Malaysian education system is supposed to be moulded after the British system (or at least it was in our days in the 1950s and 1960s where a form five student was better than a university graduate today).

The problem, of course, is that since the 1970s, education was politicised, as were languages. We were all English-educated back in our days and after we left school the Ministers who came along wanted to Melayukan the education system as a mark of patriotism (including changing the medium of instruction from English to Malay). English is the language of our colonial masters so those of us who want to retain English are traitors to their race and country. True patriots would want to learn in Malay.

Yes, and one of those culprits is Anwar Ibrahim, PKR’s de facto leader, and candidate for Prime Minister if Pakatan Harapan wins the next general election (if Pakatan wins the general election and if Anwar gets a pardon and if someone vacates his or her seat and if there is a by-election and if Anwar wins the by-election and if the Agong consents to him becoming Prime Minister and if at least 112 MPs can agree to Anwar becoming PM and if by then the world does not end and so on).

Dong Zong: sleeps with Pakatan and wants Barisan to give them presents

And they say Umno is militant?

Yes, ask the Dong Zong people. If the Dong Zong people are honest and are not playing games with you they will admit that they are very angry with Anwar and blame Anwar for this whole thing. The entire decline in the education system and the problem the Chinese schools are facing is partly due to Anwar, said Dong Zong.

In fact, soon after Anwar was released from jail in September 2004, he met the Dong Zong people and asked them to support the opposition in the next general election expected in 2008. The Dong Zong people whacked Anwar and told him that he is the cause of the whole problem regarding the education system in general and Chinese education in particular. Anwar was stunned and just kept his head down. He had no reply. Finally he just said he was wrong and was sorry about it.

Yes, Anwar told Dong Zong he was wrong and was sorry about it. It is like your wife catching you cheating on her with your sister-in-law. You tell your wife you are sorry and your wife asks you: sorry for cheating or sorry for getting caught? Would you still be sorry if you had not got caught? Good question. Is Anwar sorry for messing up the entire education system or sorry that it has now come back to haunt him and may cost him the support of the Chinese.

Power struggle in Dong Zong turned physical

Anyway, Anwar promised Dong Zong that if the opposition came to power he would address all these issues and undo the mistakes of the past. The Chinese will get what they want and whatever number of schools they want plus funds for all this. But they must first kick out Barisan Nasional and replace them with an opposition government. After all, MCA and Gerakan cannot deliver what the Chinese want so better they vote for DAP and PKR.

Yes, Chinese schools are being used as a bargaining chip. Vote for us and we will give you Chinese schools and money for them. On the other side, MCA will tell Umno and the government: give us Chinese schools and money for them or else the Chinese will abandon Barisan Nasional and will cross over to DAP. Dong Zong, on the other hand, will ask MCA what they can give and will walk over to DAP and tell DAP what MCA can give and whether DAP can better that offer.

“I start with 50 schools. Can anyone offer more? Yes, 80 schools, that man in the red shirt. Can anyone offer me 100. 100! That man in blue. Do I hear 150? Yes, 150, that man in red. Can we go to 200? Can anyone offer me 200? 200! The man in blue. What about 300? Can anyone offer 300?”

Dong Zong puts even the Chinese triads to shame

Yes, that is what Dong Zong is doing. They are auctioning the Chinese votes to the highest bidder. And they are using Chinese schools as the bait or commodity to auction. Who can offer the Chinese more schools and more money for these schools will get the Chinese votes. And yet the Chinese have the gall to accuse Malays who support Umno or vote for Umno as ‘makan dedak’ — as if Chinese, too, do not sell their votes to the highest bidder.

In 2008, the Chinese blackmailed Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Give us more Chinese schools or else. But then Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the Chinese to vote opposition and, in particular, give Penang to DAP. DAP then boasted that 85% of the Chinese voted opposition.

Dong Zong admits that after the 2008 general election it submitted two memorandums to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak asking for 45 more Chinese primary schools, which they did not get until today. But then in 2013, according to DAP, 90% of the Chinese voted for the opposition. And DAP says that in the next general election expect at least 95% of the Chinese to vote opposition.

Now, as far as the government is concerned, Chinese schools is not about education. It is about politics and to make sure you get Chinese votes. If you do not give the Chinese their schools, and money for the schools, then the Chinese will cross over to the opposition. But then DAP says, in 2008, 85% of the Chinese voted for them, in 2013 it was 90%, and in the next general election it is going to be 95%.

So what has MCA and/or Dong Zong got to offer Barisan Nasional and/or Umno? Yes, we give you 45 Chinese schools and RM100 million or RM200 million (or whatever) to fund your 2,000 or so Chinese schools. What do we get? Err….you get nothing. The Chinese will still tiu-niamah you and will vote Pakatan Harapan. In fact, more Chinese will vote opposition this time around compared to 2008 or 2013.

I think the Dong Zong people and those who go to Chinese schools somehow see the word ‘moron’ tattooed on Najib’s forehead. The message the Chinese have sent Najib and Umno is that their future depends entirely on the Malays and the natives of East Malaysia. You can drop your pants and bend over and still the Chinese are not going to vote for you. In that case you are better off writing-off the Chinese and put all your eggs in the Malay basket.

Chinese schools are about politics, not about education