English as the teaching and learning medium

and now, they are against the using of English as the medium in teaching Math and Science.

personally, as someone who graduated from the system that used BM as the medium for Math and Science, i feel that the government was doing the right thing when they first introduced English to be used as the medium.

and i found it ridiculous when i stumbled upon this protest march against the English as the teaching medium.
and luckily i am so sleepy, i can't bring myself to laugh out loud this remarkable statement appeared in the International Herald Tribune

Many Malay teachers and linguists complain that a six-year-old policy of using English has hurt efforts to modernize their mother tongue and to develop a scientific lexicon in Malay.

wtf? how about the years BEFORE the implementation of current policy? have we not develop scientific lexicon in Malay? oh yeah.. forgive me. we did that.

atas talian
kayu ria
tetikus
peranti

and now, look what happened. we no more use atas talian anymore. we just put quote between the words, and presto, it is acceptable into Malay scientific lexicon.

"online"
"download"
"mobile"
"PDA"

look, i'm a staunch supporter in upholding our national language. it is an integral part in promoting.. sorry.. in uniting us all. but seriously. look around people. the media feed us with English programme day to day, and since most dramas in BM sucks big time, this creates a high demand for English speaking citizens.

you talk about how by using English diminish our national language. but if you observe current situation, don't you find it kinda funny when most of our signage, billboards and printed advertisements are all in English? and please don't let me venture into the "atas talian" world.

by not forcing people to speak and think in English, we are creating classes of people in Malaysia. just like what is happening nowadays. it's either you are good in English, so-so in English, or English cast-away. the former two are two types of people that could easily get employment in any private sectors. the latter? do they master BM?

and what's with this "aku-tak-puas-hati-jom-kita-berarak-dan-protes!" thingy? oh btw, i sensed a Malay-nised English word in that sentence.

the noble purpose of having English as medium for teaching Math and Science is because English is the global language of knowledge. Yes, the French and the Japs survived without English, but they have become isolated in their own world. and when they need to communicate with the rest of the world, they have to find translators.

gone were the days when BM is the lingua franca in the global world. but remember, in this Kepulauan Nusantara, BM is still the lingua franca of all Malay brethrens.

Do take a break for a minute, and think back. we are good in addition and subtraction becuase we were forced to know about it back in school, even during that time we just hate Math.
Don't you think we could apply those things in this English issue as well? by forcing our children to interact in English, they could master and become fluent in this language. hence, we might see drop in English-illiterate students.

and the only way to ensure that BM is still relevant, is by using it in our daily live.