Wrong Policy on English Usage: Towards National Disaster

Wrong Policy on English Usage: Towards National Disaster

123. (Allah) said:"Get you down (from the Paradise to the earth), both of you, together, some of you are an enemy to some others. Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery.
124. "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."
Further Allah says:
127. And thus do We requite him who transgresses beyond bounds [i.e. commits the great sins and disobeys his Lord (Allah) and believes not in His Messengers, and His revealed Books, like this Qur'an, etc.], and believes not in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of his Lord, and the torment of the Hereafter is far more severe and more lasting.
128. Is it not a guidance for them (to know) how many generations We have destroyed before them, in whose dwellings they walk? Verily, in this are signs indeed for men of understanding. (Al Quran Chapter 20: verses 123-124 and 127-128)
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May 13 1969 brought Malaysia almost to total destruction. That is a result of disobeying Allah's guidance. Switching to Malay as a medium of instruction saved the country. Malaysians who have studied in Malay have helped Malaysia developed until now. Yet some Malaysians now want to return to the pre-May 13 era. Don't we ever want to learn?


Allah's guidance
Allah creates languages : “13. O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. ... Al Quran 49:13)

So each race has its language and this is called mother tongue.

Use of Mother Tongue
Allah teaches man that teaching must be done in the mother tongue 4. “And We sent not a Messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them.” (14:4)


Specialization
There must be a section in the society that studies other languages as knowledge explodes. So there is need for specialization.

Allah teaches:

“122. And it is not (proper) for the believers to go out to fight (Jihad) all together. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islamic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil). (9:122)”

Initially, Jihad (for war) was compulsory for all Muslims. When the community expanded, some were exempted . Instead, they were allowed to stay back to acquire knowledge. It was their duty to then teach. This resulted in Muslims traveling everywhere to seek knowledge, and on returning taught the Arabs this new knowledge in Arabic, the mother tongue.

Malaysia' Experience
When English was the medium of instruction, students in urban areas benefited, as English was widely used in towns. Malays, and others, living in rural areas, suffered. This changed when Malay took over as the medium of instructions. Students from rural areas excelled. The excellent students were given intensive courses in many languages, English, German, French, Japanese, Korean etc and sent to study overseas where they performed well. On returning home, some of these oversea graduates became teachers and lecturers, teaching in the mother tongue Malay.

Use of mother tongues in other countries
Similar successes can be seen in many countries where mother tongue is used. Germany, France, Italy Spain, China and Japan progress with the use of their mother tongues.

In China only 80 million Chinese, a small percentage of 5% of the 1.2 billion Chinese population, learn English to fulfill the needs for English-speaking workers in China. In Japan, there is a translation body that rapidly translates any new knowledge from English and any other languages into Japanese. English is never made the medium of instruction in either China or Japan; the medium of instruction is their mother tongue, Chinese and Japanese respectively. Yet both China and Japan have surpassed the English speaking world, like U.S.A and England, in many fields, including economy.

USA and England are now on the decline, despite English being used as the medium of instruction.

Disaster where mother tongue is not used
Malays suffered before 13 May Tragedy. The Maoris in New Zealand, the red Indians in USA and Australian Aborigines suffered and are suffering when English is used as the medium of instruction. Similar fate befalls the original population in any country where mother tongue is replaced by the colonialist languages as in South America.

We all love Malaysia. For peace and prosperity, we, as Allah's slaves, must return to His guidance.



We all love Malaysia. For peace and prosperity, we, as Allah's slave, must return to His guidance.