Seems like nonsense to me, but then perhaps if I had a better feel for how Malaysian Chinese today are who they are because they’ve been murdered for their ethnicity in the lifetimes of many and they have chosen to live in an ethno-nationalist state that tolerates and makes use of them but never lets them think of themselves as Malaysian?
It’s only rule of law if the insurutions that uphold such rule are independent, professional and not tainted with corruptions. Sadly, Malaysian justice system and institutions are corrupted to their cores.
It’s disappointing media reports do not reach deeper to tell of the decades old racial incitement, the Special Privileges for the Malay race, the establishment of Islamic institutions loyal to the regime, media domination, gerrymandering, money politics, etc – which have enable the ruling party to win elections and enabled corruption to mushroom since mid 1980s.
In simple terms: Thai Chinese became who they are today because their forefathers had been compelled to ditch their Chinese identity in order to be accepted as Thai citizens; the alternatives then would be either death or expulsion. There was no willing assimilation to speak of. Pure and simple. One can’t overlook this dark chapter in Thai history when it comes to discussing Thai Chinese identity of today, just as one must not dismiss the horrible history of the Stolen Generations when discussing the plight of the indigenous communities in Australia. 🙂
“Of course, Chinese culture and history are not just about Confucianism and the cultural revolution, just as Western culture and history are far more than Christianity and slavery/colonialism/imperialism ”
Interesting that you grasp the complexity and abundance of “histories” where some issues are concerned and yet somehow think one policy from one particular period of time can overwhelm the reality of centuries of time and millions upon millions of people’s lives to demonstrate the “forced assimilation” of Sino-Thais as the meaning of the history of Chinese immigration into Thailand. 🙂
Straight from Malaysia’s MOE website. Please do some research before you comment just to maintain the quality of discussion. This is New Mandala, not some cheap tabloid forum.
Peter – why do you find it impossible to use balanced, temperate language, when describing Malaysia. ? You make good points re. Najib, the scandal, and attempts to divert attention from the scandal by whipping up racism. But you consistently spoil your case by over the top ridiculous rhetoric eg. this latest : “the World regards Malaysia as a joke”. Try telling that to your “thousands of Malaysian friends”. And btw, have you done a World survey ? Incidentally, it’s not so long ago that Israeli President Olmert was forced to resign, because of corruption. Please keep a sense of proportion.
Also, the syllabus used by Chinese schools in Malaysia is no longer based on that of China. Students who attend these schools are taught Chinese as well as Malaysian culture and history, in addition to cultures and histories of other continents. Of course, Chinese culture and history are not just about Confucianism and the cultural revolution, just as Western culture and history are far more than Christianity and slavery/colonialism/imperialism 🙂
I have met quite a few Thais who went to the so-called Chinese schools in Bangkok. The fact is, they were only offered extra hours for the Chinese language, with the rest of the syllabus being taught in Thai. Their command of Chinese may be better than others but way below that of a Chinese Malaysian who was taught Chinese, Malay and English, an important factor why some Thai parents continue to send their kids to attend schools in Penang 🙂
Actually I think Penang is a popular destination for not-so wealthy Thais to send their kids for English education as well.
As far as I know, there are well over 100 Chinese schools in Thailand, most in Bangkok.
I doubt that they teach the “real” Chinese curriculum– with the worship of the Party and the 70/30 judgement on Mao, or eliding the Great Leap Forward and incidents of cannibalism from the Cultural Revolution– so kids who study in these schools miss out on the cultural indoctrination you seem to find so essential.
Or do real “vernacular schools” now find a way to present modern Chinese culture as a variant form of Confucianism?
Could we now write-off Donald Trump after his puke-inducing very lewd brags of his past sex assaults on women captured in a 2005 hot-mic recording released by the Washington Post Friday? Let us all hope so.
Family is genes. Abstract rules that apply to everybody are memes. Memes are very largely confined to humans, and are most highly developed in the most civilised societies. Looking after one’s family above others is something all animals do, and can be explained by gene selection. It is one of the many subhuman traits that humans also carry.
Foreigners do not violate Malaysia for the most part, when the PM steals money worth 1 billion RM, runs the country likes his personal lottery and radical Malays threaten to cut off Chinese heads and blame everyone but themselves for their comical version of Islam. The World regards Malaysia as a joke because it behaves like one. Unless of course, you believe autocracy, random jailing and buying billions RM of property overseas is all the foreigner’s fault.
Here’s a brief look at the four ‘major economic players’ which the authors refer to, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. In 2014, Cambodia recorded a GDP in PPP terms of $55 billion, Laos of $34 billion, Myanmar’s GDP is estimated to reach $311 billion this year, while Vietnam’s is estimated to have been $593 billion in 2015.
By contrast, Indonesia’s is estimated to reach over $three trillion in 2016, more than three times larger than the GDPs of those ‘major economic players’. As the authors note, ‘there is a dire need to strengthen ties with…Jakarta’. In fact, one could replace ‘is a dire need’ by ‘was a prior need’.
[…] With maritime tensions in the region remaining high, and likely to escalate further, Indonesia must reassess its Indo-Pacific strategy, Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto writeshttp://www.newmandala.org/policy-without-strategy/ […]
Tourism is a state-sponsored begging. And most of SEA countries have been used to begging. I can’t imagine a worse economic policy than completely relying on other people’s taste, preferences, and willingness to spend, at huge expense of one’s own tradition, culture and dignity. Thailand is now the world’s red-light district and Thais are proud of it. Malaysians have been used to its cultural traditions being destroyed, releasing foreigners who violate their laws and insult their country.
Then again, I must caution against full assimilation in the case of Malaysia. Greater use of the Malay language should be encouraged and promoted, but not at the expense of vernacular education. Non Malay Malaysians must do more to improve their Malay proficiency and stop regarding it as an inferior language. On the other hand, Malay Malaysians must ditch the idea of one language, one nation. If the non Malays naively think they can gain full acceptance by the indigenous population by giving up their own language and culture, they have only to look at Indonesia where Chinese Indonesian loyalty is frequently questioned even when they already speak bahasa as mother tongue. No sooner would Umno and Pas in Malaysia start to call for embrace of Islam to prove one’s loyalty to the country. Just beware.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
Seems like nonsense to me, but then perhaps if I had a better feel for how Malaysian Chinese today are who they are because they’ve been murdered for their ethnicity in the lifetimes of many and they have chosen to live in an ethno-nationalist state that tolerates and makes use of them but never lets them think of themselves as Malaysian?
The law of rule in Malaysia
It’s only rule of law if the insurutions that uphold such rule are independent, professional and not tainted with corruptions. Sadly, Malaysian justice system and institutions are corrupted to their cores.
The law of rule in Malaysia
It’s disappointing media reports do not reach deeper to tell of the decades old racial incitement, the Special Privileges for the Malay race, the establishment of Islamic institutions loyal to the regime, media domination, gerrymandering, money politics, etc – which have enable the ruling party to win elections and enabled corruption to mushroom since mid 1980s.
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
In simple terms: Thai Chinese became who they are today because their forefathers had been compelled to ditch their Chinese identity in order to be accepted as Thai citizens; the alternatives then would be either death or expulsion. There was no willing assimilation to speak of. Pure and simple. One can’t overlook this dark chapter in Thai history when it comes to discussing Thai Chinese identity of today, just as one must not dismiss the horrible history of the Stolen Generations when discussing the plight of the indigenous communities in Australia. 🙂
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
“Of course, Chinese culture and history are not just about Confucianism and the cultural revolution, just as Western culture and history are far more than Christianity and slavery/colonialism/imperialism ”
Interesting that you grasp the complexity and abundance of “histories” where some issues are concerned and yet somehow think one policy from one particular period of time can overwhelm the reality of centuries of time and millions upon millions of people’s lives to demonstrate the “forced assimilation” of Sino-Thais as the meaning of the history of Chinese immigration into Thailand. 🙂
Indian migrant workers in Malaysia – part 1
MAK JUN YEN – Can you provide me your address as I am tracing history of Rubber planters from India? Thanks
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
http://www.moe.gov.my/en/pelajaran-rendah
Straight from Malaysia’s MOE website. Please do some research before you comment just to maintain the quality of discussion. This is New Mandala, not some cheap tabloid forum.
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
It is better not to go to Chinese schools to avoid propaganda from China.
Of flags on bums and castrated courts
Peter – why do you find it impossible to use balanced, temperate language, when describing Malaysia. ? You make good points re. Najib, the scandal, and attempts to divert attention from the scandal by whipping up racism. But you consistently spoil your case by over the top ridiculous rhetoric eg. this latest : “the World regards Malaysia as a joke”. Try telling that to your “thousands of Malaysian friends”. And btw, have you done a World survey ? Incidentally, it’s not so long ago that Israeli President Olmert was forced to resign, because of corruption. Please keep a sense of proportion.
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
Also, the syllabus used by Chinese schools in Malaysia is no longer based on that of China. Students who attend these schools are taught Chinese as well as Malaysian culture and history, in addition to cultures and histories of other continents. Of course, Chinese culture and history are not just about Confucianism and the cultural revolution, just as Western culture and history are far more than Christianity and slavery/colonialism/imperialism 🙂
The law of rule in Malaysia
[…] The law of rule in Malaysia […]
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
I have met quite a few Thais who went to the so-called Chinese schools in Bangkok. The fact is, they were only offered extra hours for the Chinese language, with the rest of the syllabus being taught in Thai. Their command of Chinese may be better than others but way below that of a Chinese Malaysian who was taught Chinese, Malay and English, an important factor why some Thai parents continue to send their kids to attend schools in Penang 🙂
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
Actually I think Penang is a popular destination for not-so wealthy Thais to send their kids for English education as well.
As far as I know, there are well over 100 Chinese schools in Thailand, most in Bangkok.
I doubt that they teach the “real” Chinese curriculum– with the worship of the Party and the 70/30 judgement on Mao, or eliding the Great Leap Forward and incidents of cannibalism from the Cultural Revolution– so kids who study in these schools miss out on the cultural indoctrination you seem to find so essential.
Or do real “vernacular schools” now find a way to present modern Chinese culture as a variant form of Confucianism?
Donald Trump is Thailand’s friend
Could we now write-off Donald Trump after his puke-inducing very lewd brags of his past sex assaults on women captured in a 2005 hot-mic recording released by the Washington Post Friday? Let us all hope so.
Duterte a law unto himself
Family is genes. Abstract rules that apply to everybody are memes. Memes are very largely confined to humans, and are most highly developed in the most civilised societies. Looking after one’s family above others is something all animals do, and can be explained by gene selection. It is one of the many subhuman traits that humans also carry.
Of flags on bums and castrated courts
Foreigners do not violate Malaysia for the most part, when the PM steals money worth 1 billion RM, runs the country likes his personal lottery and radical Malays threaten to cut off Chinese heads and blame everyone but themselves for their comical version of Islam. The World regards Malaysia as a joke because it behaves like one. Unless of course, you believe autocracy, random jailing and buying billions RM of property overseas is all the foreigner’s fault.
India in ASEAN
Here’s a brief look at the four ‘major economic players’ which the authors refer to, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. In 2014, Cambodia recorded a GDP in PPP terms of $55 billion, Laos of $34 billion, Myanmar’s GDP is estimated to reach $311 billion this year, while Vietnam’s is estimated to have been $593 billion in 2015.
By contrast, Indonesia’s is estimated to reach over $three trillion in 2016, more than three times larger than the GDPs of those ‘major economic players’. As the authors note, ‘there is a dire need to strengthen ties with…Jakarta’. In fact, one could replace ‘is a dire need’ by ‘was a prior need’.
A policy without a strategy
[…] With maritime tensions in the region remaining high, and likely to escalate further, Indonesia must reassess its Indo-Pacific strategy, Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto writeshttp://www.newmandala.org/policy-without-strategy/ […]
Of flags on bums and castrated courts
Tourism is a state-sponsored begging. And most of SEA countries have been used to begging. I can’t imagine a worse economic policy than completely relying on other people’s taste, preferences, and willingness to spend, at huge expense of one’s own tradition, culture and dignity. Thailand is now the world’s red-light district and Thais are proud of it. Malaysians have been used to its cultural traditions being destroyed, releasing foreigners who violate their laws and insult their country.
A rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric
Then again, I must caution against full assimilation in the case of Malaysia. Greater use of the Malay language should be encouraged and promoted, but not at the expense of vernacular education. Non Malay Malaysians must do more to improve their Malay proficiency and stop regarding it as an inferior language. On the other hand, Malay Malaysians must ditch the idea of one language, one nation. If the non Malays naively think they can gain full acceptance by the indigenous population by giving up their own language and culture, they have only to look at Indonesia where Chinese Indonesian loyalty is frequently questioned even when they already speak bahasa as mother tongue. No sooner would Umno and Pas in Malaysia start to call for embrace of Islam to prove one’s loyalty to the country. Just beware.