HARI ESOK

Sunday, November 06, 2011

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.

Earthquake and Flood: Are you not scared?

Earthquake and Flood: Are you not scared?

Allah owns the world and the universe and what is in it and between it. He is the ultimate government and He will do what He wants. Regarding earthquake, floods and drought, He says:

68. Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a violent sand-storm? Then, you shall find no Wakil (guardian one to guard you from the torment).
69. Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea and send against you a hurricane of wind and drown you because of your disbelief, then you will not find any avenger therein against Us? (Al Quran Chapter 17 verse 68-69 Quran 17:68-69)

30. Say (O Muhammad ): "Tell me! If (all) your water were to be sunk away, who then can supply you with flowing (spring) water?" (67:30)

Recently, many catastrophes have occurred: earthquake and tsunami in Japan and Christchurch in New Zealand, drought and flood in Australia, drought and earthquake in China.
The latest disaster is the massive flood in Thailand which is going on for the past 3 months, bringing more than 500 deaths and untold destruction to the country and economy, and threatening the health of the population.
“Flood damage to agricultural land in the country's north is expected to push up food prices, especially rice.
Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of rice, with about 27 million acres planted.
Hundreds of thousands of acres of land planted with other crops is also likely to have suffered damage, according to officials.
The flooding is the worst to hit the southeast Asian nation in decades.
About 8.2 million people in 60 of Thailand's 77 provinces have been affected by floods and mudslides, and 30 provinces are currently suffering.
Prolonged monsoon flooding, typhoons and storms have killed hundreds of people across southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Asia in the past four months”
Oklahoma, USA has been struck by many earthquakes. “Geological activity in the region has increased in recent years, and earthquakes have occurred with greater frequency and intensity. The big quake on Saturday night, which occurred at 10:53, had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6, according to the National Earthquake Information Center, a division of the United States Geological Survey.
…..
Since mid-2009, the state has had 10 times more earthquakes than normal, said Austin Holland, a research seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey. In 2010, the earth beneath Oklahomans’ feet moved more than 1,000 times, but only 100 or so were strong enough to be felt.
“We have not a clue,” Mr. Holland said of the increase. “It could be a natural cycle; we just don’t know.”
Unlike earthquake-prone California and Japan, Oklahoma does not rest atop the fractious areas where two tectonic plates rub against each other. But the state’s geophysical activity has only been surveyed in earnest for about 50 years, Mr. Holland said, making it difficult to draw conclusions or put the recent activity into context.”
As Mr Holland was reported to have said: “We have not a clue,” Mr. Holland said of the increase. “It could be a natural cycle; we just don’t know.”
But Allah knows why He does all these things. There are many reasons why Allah does what He does.

51. "This is because of that which your hands had forwarded. And verily, Allah is not unjust to His slaves."
52. Similar to the behavior of the people of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), and of those before them; they rejected the Ayat (proofs, verses, etc.) of Allah, so Allah punished them for their sins. Verily, Allah is All-Strong, Severe in punishment.
53. That is so because Allah will never change a grace which He has bestowed on a people until they change what is in their own-selves. And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.
54. Similar to the behavior of the people of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), and those before them. They belied the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) for they were all Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.). Quran 8:51-54)

16. And when We decide to destroy a town (population), We (first) send a definite order (to obey Allah and be righteous) to those among them [or We (first) increase in number those of its population] who are given the good things of this life. Then, they transgress therein, and thus the word (of torment) is justified against it (them). Then We destroy it with complete destruction.
17. And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh (Noah)! And Sufficient is your Lord as an All-Knower and All-Beholder of the sins of His slaves. (17: 16-17)
16. If He will, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation. (35:16)

We Malaysians must take heed of all the things that Allah has done to us. Malaysia has been hit by huge flood in Johor, tsunami in Kedah and many earthquakes, even though Malaysia is not over the tectonic plate.

“Before this, beginning 30 November 2007 until 25 Mei 2008, small earthquakes have been detected in the surrounding area of Bukit Tinggi dan Janda Baik,” said Director-General Jabatan Meteorologi, Dr. Yap Kok Seng . (“Gempa di Bukit Tinggi, Janda Baik tidak bahaya Utusan Melayu 10.10.09””

Every thing that happens occur with Allah's consent and He does it with a purpose:

“190. Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.
191. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire. 3:190-191)”