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Thursday, December 04, 2014

Anwar Ibrahim de-knighted



The bloke in the photo above has always been desperate for political recognition/attention that I observe he would babble on anything and everything - a virtual walking verbal diarrhea, wakakaka. But he reached the nadir of poor taste when he made fun of Anwar Ibrahim for having his datukship stripped off recently by HRH Selangor.

Zaid Ibrahim has been spot on in calling him (the above bloke, not AI) "stupid" for his disgusting and failed attempt at a stupid joke.

Okay, that's all I'm going to say about the walking verbal diarrhea for I have been deliberately and studiously ignoring him for years, well, at least until now when his pathetic comment in awful bad taste has left even me sick.

Anyway, rulers stripping people off their datukships have not been new, though there seems to be a lack of consistency in the criteria for such drastic and humiliating recall of state awards - for example, we have seen both a murderer and a politician charged for corruption jailed and subsequently exited prison with their datukships intact throughout their respective terms of public incarceration - perhaps it's just a coincidence both were from UMNO, wakakaka.

Before Anwar Ibrahim, the most recent high profile case was Chua Jui Meng, coincidentally (again) also a PKR pollie.


In both cases, they were of course the respective HRH's prerogatives. But I reckon the current one regarding Anwar has not been well received by many, including (surprise surprise) me and also the editorial by TMI - see here. But it's worth reproducing the relevant extracts of that editorial, as follows:

So, it is within the prerogative of the Selangor Sultan to revoke the royal award which his father had issued but also within the prerogative of Malaysians to have opinions and views about him and other rulers, however pungent they may be.

After all, what does any man or woman leave behind as their name or legacy once they are dead and gone? Their deeds and misdemeanours, if any.

In Anwar's case, as is for any other Malaysian politician, their life and legacy is from what they do to serve and lead Malaysia, a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.

Their ultimate recognition will be from all Malaysians, not the few.
 


Much as I dislike Anwar for his political antics, I also have the same bad feeling right down in my guts at HRH's decision in the social-cultural humiliation of him, which is more pahit when it comes in the wake of HRH's "participation" in the recent Selangor MB affair, one in which inevitably they have in some sense 'locked horns'.

I quote Zaid Ibrahim again, who succinctly said: “It’s not proper for Malay rulers to revoke or withdraw titles once conferred. Anwar Ibrahim is a leader. It’s his job to question.”

“If political, religious and hereditary leaders are beyond question, then Malays will forever remain weak and poor, except their leaders."

“If Malays believe that some of their leaders are beyond question, then they are really in trouble.”


A much earlier case of a Selangor datukship being withdrawn involved Lee Kim Sai, former deputy chairman of MCA.


To talk more on Lee, we need to return to 1987, when the infamous Ops Lalang had its genesis in the decision of an Education Minister (guess who - wakakaka) to appoint some 100 non-Mandarin educated senior assistants and principals to vernacular Chinese schools.

Chinese educationists and parents were outraged and Chinese-based parties quickly fell into line to support them. Well, they had to because, as I have often remarked, ‘education’ is a central pillar of Chinese culture, and no pillar of such a culture would be stronger and more sacred for the Chinese community in Malaysia than that of Chinese language education which they perceive as guaranteeing the required minimum standards for their children, and which they also feel (rightly or wrongly) the national type schools couldn't.

Well, those pollies could only ignore the anger and concerns of the Chinese community at the risk of losing their votes - such a delicate and sensitive issue was and still is something UMNO could never understand as ignoring or dismissing Chinese educational aspirations would only undermine their MCA & Gerakan partners' standing in the Chinese community.

But I have to say though that Ah Jib Gor showed some appreciation on this issue when pre 2013 GE he attempted to build a bridge with Dong Zong, as I blogged on in an earlier post Dr Mahathir reigns supreme.

Back to pre Ops Lalang - it sure as hell didn't look good when MCA, Gerakan, DAP and Dong Jiao Zong (Chinese educationists and PTA) banded together in a 2,000-strong gathering at the Hainanese Association Building beside the KL Thian Hou Temple.


Dr Mahathir was said to invoke the memory of Shaolin Temple which was renowned more for its opposition to authorities than martial arts. He said (words to the effect): We know what happened when Chinese gathered together in a temple to talk politics.

Shaolin Temple

Guess he was advised by Chinese historical-cultural experts, unless of course he was a covert fan of Chinese martial arts films, wakakaka.

Ops Lalang nabbed 106 people of all races under ISA (including a few 'unwanted' UMNO personnel) whereafter they enjoyed free nasi curry at Hotel Kamunting - 2 years for some like Lim Kit Siang.

However, the two principal opponents in the Chinese educational imbroglio, a then young UMNO Youth chief, Najib, and Lee Kim Sai, were untouched by Ops Lalang. Their stoush was not unlike Hang Tuah sparring with Bruce Lee, wakakaka.

Being UMNO and the son of the revered Tun Razak, Najib was naturally 100% teflon-ised while Lee was ‘coincidentally’ out of the country (in Australia) when Ops Lalang was launched. Even in such BN teflonization there was a noticeable difference between UMNO and MCA, where one in 1st Class could repose in arrogant immunity while the other (2nd Class) had to silently and sneakily scurry away, wakakaka.

Apparently on the urging of a Najib-led UMNO Youth delegation to the former Sultan of Selangor, Allahyarham HRH had Lee Kim Sai's datukship stripped off.


I'm afraid in the current case HRH, while enjoying his royal prerogative, doesn't look good to the public as in his rather startling action he appears to be vindictive and thus, in my humble opinion, less regal.

But alas, on the other side of the coin, I have to say that Anwar has made the same mistake as his colleague Chua Jui Meng in commenting on his loss of datukship - see TMI's Saya tidak pernah mohon 'Datuk Seri' Selangor, kata Anwar.

They both come across as a wee merajuk-ish. In such a situation, it's best to be like Lee Kim Sai who kept his mouth shut on his 1987 loss and thus remained highly dignified, effectively placing the moral ball back in HRH's court.


Read also my 2012 post Datukship.

23 comments:

  1. Modern constitutional monarchies survive on a thin veneer of mythology and mystique. There is a sense that they are not ordinary people like the rest of us, they are above political arguments and above the petty nastiness that we ordinary mortals engage in.

    In the case of Britain's Princess Diana, and now Princess Kate, the popular press went overboard. Princess Diana at the peak of her popularity had a public persona built up into a kind of impossible flawlessness, no doubt she was beautiful. The very normal human being Diana couldn't live up to that public image, and ultimately the pressures ate her up.

    Anyway, if Royalty are seen as engaging in petulant small-mindedness, that thin layer of mystique gets destroyed very quickly, And there lies the damage to the Monarchy....

    Even Thailand, with such a strong monarchy, will not be immune. The deep respect born out of the exemplary life and character of King Bhumibol will get eroded very quickly if his successors misbehave (as it seems likely now).

    On to Anwar compared to Lee Kim Sai.
    Lee Kim Sai did not just keep quiet on the removal of his Datukship.
    He silenced himself, period. He never again uttered a single public statement.
    His zombie-like public existence I was told, was quid pro quo for no further action being taken against him upon his return. He is still alive today, but his public life is Dead.

    Anwar Ibrahim cannot and should not remain silent or bow out.
    Malaysia still needs his unique contributions, for the sake of future generations.

    The only way the BN/UMNO government can silence Anwar Ibrahim is to throw him in jail, no doubt that is well on the way.

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  2. One thing you have ignored is that Anwar Ibrahim has met Chinese educationists, including Dong Zong in serious dialogue about Chinese education long before Najib ever showed up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anwar Ibrahim was the UMNO Education Minister whose policy triggered the chain of events leading to Ops Lalang mentioned in this post. Did he ever deal productively with Dong Zong when he was an UMNO Minister?

      After he was expelled from UMNO, as a Pakatan politician he was expected to be allied to Dong Zong as DAP has always been, so there's nothing significant in a Pakatan pollie dealing with Dong Zong.

      Delete
    2. It doesn't take a genius to see that the ultimate wet dream of some malevolent racists is to shut down the vernacular schools and herd the children into sekolah kebangsaan. It is not because they care so much for the welfare and education of the nation's youth nor is it out of love and patriotism towards the country. The real reason they are so hell-bent on doing this is just to spite and whack the Nons, especially the Chingkies (a derogatory and contemptuous name they label the community with), solely because of the hatred and dislike they harbor towards the Nons.

      Out of the many possible reasons that fuel their hatred and dislike for the Nons, their religion may be a prime candidate. The Abrahamic faiths are noted for their clannish exclusiveness (that is to say, the believers exclude/shut out all those who are not a follower of their religion). Thus it is possible that some of the practitioners of these faiths may find it difficult, maybe impossible, to tolerate those whom they consider as infidels/kafirs.

      Incidentally, have you noticed that when these racists meddled with the educational system, things instead of getting better became worse ... much worse. One obvious example comes to mind - the parlous state of English language competency among the younger generation. This came about because of the downgrading and sidelining of the teaching of English out of a misguided sense of nationalism. So, now the chickens have come home to roost as people realise that young Malaysians have a problem when going for studies in a Western university where English is the medium of instruction, or when seeking employment. Even the country's captains of industry and political bigwigs find themselves at a disadvantage when attending international negotiations and meets where English is the lingua franca. Itu padan muka lah, hahaha ....

      Delete
    3. a very succinct analysis. the failures noted in para 3 were also contributed by politicizing ministers (who treated education like a political football, as you mentioned) and incompetent officials who were promoted beyond their ability

      Delete
  3. All humbug about education and blah blah blah about national language.

    Since when in this age is it necessary that conformity to a race must know their mother tongue ie A Chinese must know Mandarin, A Malay must know Bahasa Melayu and an Indian must know Tamil, a Kadazan or Iban or Murut or whatever must know their mother tongue is correct? Or that a nation need a single language like what Shi Huang Ti did to unite a nation is still practical today after so many thousand of years?

    Today, wherever you are, you need to work, make money, provide food, shelter etc as a priority than talking humbug about unity thru this and that and linking it to patrioticm, loyalty and whatnot.

    Language is just a means to communicate, enhance prospects and ensure your livelihood wherever you are in the world. Isn't that more sensible than to be incapacitated by language because someone thinks their mother tongue is the panacea to the future.

    As of today, English, Arabic, German, Japanese, Mandarin seems to be among the top language preferred rather than mother tongue or national language unless you make a living only thru local politics consideration or anyone has resolved themselves to only working and staying within their village and country.

    Not all can make a living on politics only. Get real!

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  4. Anwar Ibrahim is leader of a party which still competes in Malay-majority seats and seeks to win.
    Oh yes, its very significant, because he has taken political heat for talking to Dong Zong, as well as taking political heat for speaking with Christian leaders in the main prayer hall of a Catholic church, of all places.

    Over a period of the last 10 years, a long time in any man's life, Anwar Ibrahim has consistently preached a message of inclusiveness and common understanding among Malaysians of different races and religions.
    In the same period Najib has flip-flopped-flip-flopped-flip-flopped between pretending to be a moderate and pretending to be an UMNO race-supremacists.
    I think some mornings, Najib wakes up and can't remember what he is supposed to be pretending for that day....

    Ktemoc is too far gone in cloud-cuckoo land to convince, but I hope to open the eyes of some of the other (pitifully few...sob...) readers here...

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  5. What is the big deal ? The joke is that if you throw a stone in any direction , it will hit a latok/ latok seri/latuk utama or any other type of
    latuk.

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  6. The "problem" of Chinese education in Malaysia arise because of the stubborn insistence of the Malaysian Chinese community on unconditional exceptionalism for the right to run a full-fledged separate Chinese language education system, with even schools administrators such as Headmasters compulsorily segregated.

    Outside of Greater China (which are obviously Chinese-speaking) NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WHOLE WORLD allows this.

    The few exceptions are individual private Chinese-language schools, but no such thing as a full fledged separate school system.

    For good reason. Its a recipe for disaster, and national disunity.

    The Chinese have a right to have their children be taught Chinese language in schools.
    The Chinese are WRONG to insist on the right to Chinese-language Medium Schools.

    The legions of self-described 2nd Class citizen Chinese who migrate to Australia, New Zealand, even Singapore happily enrol their children in National Schools in those countries, without even the opportunity to learn any Chinese (except for Singapore).

    Pordah !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. as I have mentioned several times over, it's not so much the medium of instructions (or education) - it's the standard of education which with the regular fuckups by our series of UMNO Education Ministers, that of the national stream has gone to the dogs. Rightly or wrongly the Chinese believe that ONLY the Chinese vernacular schools can guarantee the required standards for their children, so blame people like Dr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim who were both Education Ministers.for losing the faith and confidence of the Chinese community in Malaysia's education system

      Delete
    2. CBMF, after the long hibernation under the tempurung & been fire-stirred by yr once-a-year brain-stoning monkey show at pwtc, now u come awake & tokoh from yr other orifice again!

      'For good reason. Its a recipe for disaster, and national disunity.'

      ??????????

      If u r really into the unity issues within the educational system, then u should seriously looking into the arabization of the schools/institutes of higher education, the qouta + the markah buta examination graduate format (mal-interpretation of article153) etc etc. Instead of blaming the medium of instruction.

      BTW, do u realise that yr uitm's main medium of instruction is English?

      Or for bodoh sombong like u, it's ok to segregate the English-speaking elites from the Melayu-speaking 80% underclass, so that the leeching can continue?

      All this while blames the Nons for the ills created by yr double-standard exercises upon yr down-trodden 80% blur-sotongs!

      Bigoted pariah to the nth ...

      Delete
    3. Right you are, KT ! Remember how at one time, when the Chinese parents sent their children in droves to the National Schools when the medium of instruction then was English, leaving the Chinese schools languishing in the doldrum.

      The standard of the schools then were on par with the best in the world. Then the fcuking Umno men poked their racist fingers into a perfectly run high-standard system....and seemingly overnight....we get to see thousands upon thousands of Malay students getting a string of straight As but unemployable in the job market. And to add more horror to this hopeless situation, every national schools have gone 'Islamic'....all the girl students bundled up and the syllabus have too much emphasis on all things Islamic, with calls now for Jawi to be introduced. And who could forget Moo Moo shoving down the throats of students with that so-called literature book 'Interlok' !

      With the Mandarin language now coming to the forefront as one of the international language due to the rise of China, this makes the Ketuanan melayus even more hysterical to ramp down the NONs so as to make them less competitive....to their thinking, make all the NONs learn bahasa melayu only and yet deny them places in the civil service, thus rendering them useless in the public sector and at the same time, unable to find employment in the private sector like what the Malay students are facing now. And of course, jobs outside the country will then be an impossibility. Might as well dump these students into a well and let them die down there...why all these sandiwaras about UNITY when everyday their melayu politicians and NGOs are shouting about melayu rights and privileges, yelling that they cannot be 'insulted', that they are entitled to 67.5% of the nation's wealth, bla bla bla. THEY are the REAL cause of disunity but very conveniently put the blame on the vernacular schools.

      Their game plan is to render the NONs students useless...cut off from English and Chinese languages. The recent noises from Moo Moo about recruiting Chinese teachers FROM China is another of his wild goose chase....it will not work...many can smell his rotten head idea to close down the vernacular schools by trying to bring a batch of Chinese from China who could not speak a word of Bahasa. The very idea of having our own LOCAL Chinese Malaysian teaching in national schools is a big no-no to these ketuanan umno....what if our cina here 'infect' their precious Malay students with liberal and pluralistic ideas while teaching them Mandarin ? So it is safer to import the cina from China who speaks not a word of Bahasa. But the big question is this...can just merely having a few classes of Mandarin language teaching transform the overall standard of the current deteriorating down-the-drain level of our national schools ?

      Pordah !

      Delete
  7. Call me a curious cat who loves to seek out answers and appreciate being educated by those who know better. So, please educate me ...

    The "problem" of Chinese education in Malaysia arise because of the stubborn insistence of the Malaysian Chinese community on unconditional exceptionalism for the right to run a full-fledged separate Chinese language education system, with even schools administrators such as Headmasters compulsorily segregated.

    Why is that considered a problem?
    Does it cause a disturbance of the peace?
    Has it caused animosity among the various races?
    Has it impeded the progress of the nation?

    Outside of Greater China (which are obviously Chinese-speaking) NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WHOLE WORLD allows this.

    Doesn't this then make Malaysia unique and deserving to be commended?
    Does this not show that the leaders of Malaysia possess the admirable qualities of magnanimity, tolerance and inclusivity?
    Does this not show up all the other countries as being intolerant, mean-spirited and narrow-minded?

    For good reason. It's a recipe for disaster, and national disunity.

    In what way will it bring about disaster?
    And national disunity? Hasn't the government addressed this by way of National Service for young Malaysians?
    Why is there this absolute certainty that it must bring about disaster and disunity? Isn't this denigrating the human spirit of adaptability and flexibility - that people will readily cooperate with each other for a common cause if the result is mutually beneficial?

    The legions of self-described 2nd Class citizen Chinese who migrate to Australia, New Zealand, even Singapore happily enrol their children in National Schools in those countries, without even the opportunity to learn any Chinese (except for Singapore).

    Chinese people do appear to be an extremely pragmatic race. If learning a new language will help them move up in life or, most important to them, help them get rich, they will eagerly make the attempt to master it. Unfortunately, for many, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak ... erm, no, not quite, it's more like the spirit is willing but the brain won't cooperate. That is to say, not everyone is an adept linguist - for many people learning a new language is really, really hard. For example, many Malay students struggle vainly to master English.

    Anyway, for those migrating to Western countries where English is the primary language and when they know that they can do very well in their new life using this one language alone, being pragmatic people why would they want to waste their time and effort learning Chinese? It's different in Malaysia where the vast majority of Chinese young job-seekers seek employment in the private sector where most employers are Chinese, and the ability to read and write Chinese and speak Mandarin is almost always mandatory. Entry to government jobs/civil service jobs are mostly closed to Malaysians of Chinese ethnicity.

    So, let me repeat - do educate me in these matters. I'm very, very eager to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That joker wrote in quite fluent English, I submit that he was probably or most likely educated in English medium, similarly to 1 ex-judge who has been spewing sh't. Just wondering how come both were not "Christianized" as some dumno numbskulls were so hysterical about everything western.

    As KT has put it the Chinese are not being unpatriotic to insist on Chinese medium education. It is the value that the children will learn and get from the education that they went through that drove the Chinese parents to send their children to Chinese schools. So stop shooting the "messenger" and use your underdeveloped brain to think about the "message"........ if you still have a brain. It is the value of the education and not the medium of education that is important, at least to the Chinese ........ you blind idiot numbskull.

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  9. I'm definitely not a fan of Anwar Ibrahim.

    However , Anwar was correct in 1987 to attempt even a very minor effort to chip away at the Apartheid-like Chinese education system.
    In this case it was to reduce the segregation at school administrator level- Head Masters. He didn't even touch in any way the Chinese school curriculum and structure.

    Even this very minor and laudable effort was built-up and spun and spun by the Chinese educationists , and the Chinese-based political parties beholden to them until it became a threat to national stability.

    I blame the Chinese educationists and MCA and DAP for the way the matter became a danger to national security, not Anwar Ibrahim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another CBMF,

      Aimed yr arrow wrong again!

      Anwar is just a politikus that plays to the head of the wind. If the wind heads islamic, he treats abim. If the wind blows down with the monarchy, he trumpets republican.

      Wakaka.....could it be bcoz the tongkat wind is heading sotong- mee, thus he pranks sodomy!

      'Anwar was correct in 1987 to attempt even a very minor effort to chip away at the Apartheid-like Chinese education system.'

      ?¿????????????????

      Appointing non-mandarin speaking school administrators, including hm, in SJKC to help reduce segregation? What weeds r u having? Or more like hp6 farmer lecturing on hp6 fishing technique! Not knowing the subject is already bad enough, what's more even one's claimed livinghood is spurious.

      BTW, go google what apartheid is before u shoot. SJKC doesn't practise one race policy.

      Uitm does. Same like those boarding giat tunas outfits to mass produce hp6 scholarship grabbers.

      One more thingy, apartheid protects controlling minority elites. Not like the me-layuised NEP that give crumbs to the blur-sotong majority, while the T20 milks them dry!

      What a crippled warrior, thus the bengkok straw arrow!

      Delete
    2. Warrior, the Chinese community (parents of students in vernacular schools and educationists) saw the move as a deliberate attempt to limit the use of Mandarin among the parents, teachers and administrators (Dong Jiao Zong) which would invariably see not only the eventual dilution of Mandarin usage in vernacular schools but a lowering of its standards. It's not unlike (though not quite the same as) placing administrators trained only in Mandarin and Tamil language to be in charge of Malay or English schools.

      Incidentally, all races have always been welcome to study in vernacular schools unlike some Malay-only educational institutes. Not too long ago, UiTM has vowed to remain open ONLY for Malays. Now, who's practicing apartheid?

      The truth is standards in national type schools suck and suck awfully. In Higher Education Institution ratings, universities in Sing, HK, TW, Korea, Japan, Thailand (see, last 3 not Chinese medium) have been among the top 100. No Malaysian uni is! Why? Because Malaysia has fucked up its educational system so badly that very few Chinese parents trust it can deliver what their children require for their education. They have to rely on vernacular education, apart from the additional fact that there's less places or course of choice for their children in Malaysian uni. That's another example of apartheid, as could be seen in the MCS, Armed Forces.etc

      Delete
  10. Anon 10:04 pm, Dec 7, 2014

    You and KTemoc are right on target. When examined more carefully, that was indeed a sneaky attempt to sabotage the vernacular school system and done with cloaked ill-intention and malice.

    Further thought leads one to conclude that the slimy, treacherous fellow did not act alone but would have consulted the top guy and obtained his approval before proceeding. In other words, the top guy is very likely in on the plan, too.

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  11. Young children have no built in prejudices and intolerance. That is why it is so important to have young children exposed to the reality of our multicultural mix from a through daily interaction.
    By the time they get to adolescents many prejudices and racial / cultural biases have already been set. That is why the National Service has had limited impact, and in fact triggered conflict in NS camps over race/religion.

    1 school system for all

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right....children have no in-built prejudices and intolerance. But !! children do have ears and their minds absorb faster than a sponge. So when parents at home cursed the Malay government, curse Isma, curse Perkasa, curse the unfair distribution of scholarships, curse the unfair marking of examination gradings, curse the lack of opportunity given to the minorities, curse their own 2nd, 3rd class status, curse the rampant racist rantings by the Malay NGOs, curse the PM whose elegant silence is not that elegant, curse the stupid antics of the Umno politicians who are all Malays, curse, curse, curse......so the cure is 1 School System for All ? Why not just shoot the parents and put their children in One School System For All and all will turn out hunky dory ?

      Pordah !!!!

      Delete
  12. 3rd CBMF,

    'Young children have no built in prejudices and intolerance. That is why it is so important to have young children exposed to the reality of our multicultural mix from a through daily interaction. '

    Truth to yr word - then ask the fascist bigoted champion to open up the asrama giat tunas for ALL races in M'sia.

    Remember too, to ask them to keep out the religion & quota allocations so that ALL children CAN compete fairly!

    Remember to eat yr words too - that it's the unfair treatments that the Nons children experienced & the tongkat preferential that the selected class been indoctrinated THAT create the PREJUDICES & RACIAL/CULTURAL BIASES.

    Children have eyes & mind too......Pariah!!!!!!

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  13. The call for one school for all seems to trip out of the mouth of some people quite easily. The argument being that this will allow the children from various races to mix with each other. Then as they grow up together, this will naturally foster friendship and bonds between them. But it is patently NOT true.

    This is a specious argument. On the surface, superficially, it does look like this should be a natural development. But human behaviour is more complex and complicated than that.

    I was in such a "one-school-for-all" milieu throughout my primary and secondary schooling from the 1950s to the early 1960s. The racial composition of the students in my school was roughly 40% Malays, 40% Chinese and 20% Indians that included a sprinkling of Sikhs.

    All of us students got on well with each other - there were no fights or quarrels. If there were it was almost always within the same racial group; there were almost no inter-ethnic conflicts that I had witnessed save for a few minor, inconsequential disagreements. And we, the various races, did interact and chat with each other. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT FOR 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME EACH RACE STUCK TOGETHER IN THEIR OWN GROUP, SHOWING A CLEAR PREFERENCE FOR THEIR OWN KIND.

    This is not because of a prejudice against the other races. This is due to one simple reason that we all should understand: Birds of a feather flock together. And why is this so? It is easily explained. Growing up and coming from the same culture and, often, sharing the same religion, we can relate and converse with each other easily. We can talk in verbal "shorthand" and your listener will immediately grasp the meaning of what you say. But not so if the person is from a different race. He/she will not understand the verbal nuance and you will need to pause and explain it to him. This makes it simpler, more convenient mixing with your own kind. Thus, it could be observed during free time like recess or after school, the children tended to associate with members of their own race.

    There is nothing wrong with this - it's just the natural order of things. It happens among us human beings, it can also be observed in the natural world, too. Hence, the saying "Birds of a feather flock together". Do you see chickens associating with ducks? Do you see sparrows mixing with doves even though both are birds and seed-eaters? Do cats mix with dogs? Do cows (cattle) herd together with goats though both are grazers? You get the drift.

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  14. There's a well known folk saying that everybody knows - You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make it drink.

    Authorities can force children of all races into one school with the belief that they will fraternize and establish friendships. However, as the above saying goes, people can be contrary and may not act according to the script.

    Parents should know about that - I've heard exclamations coming from them like:

    • To the son: Why do you keep associating with that bunch of shiftless, unemployed, drug-addict wannabes instead of the nice, decent people I recommended as friends for you?

    • To the daughter - Why do you reject all the upright, responsible young men with good jobs that our relatives want to introduce to you and instead insist on going out with that scruffy, thuggish-looking, ill-mannered jerk?
    ... and so on !!

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