Dec 2021: Vernacular Schools - Abolish or Not?

It has been over 58 years since Malaysia was formed and recognized as an independent country, 58 years of urbanisation and modernisation, thus it is surprising to learn that some Malaysians never move along with the flow of independence, their mindset is still stuck in the 40s, using inappropriate terms such as “immigrants” to describe chinese, indian and to a certain extent, native people, refusing to accept the fact that Malaysia is a multiracial and multiethnic country. 
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The stories we read about today are not only disheartening but worst of all, embarassing. Calls to abolish vernacular schools are driven by none other than - racism. 

Opposers could sugarcoat however they want it, some even to the extent of using our respected Constitution to justify their foolish opinions, not realizing their act of discrimination itself towards certain racial groups also contradicts article 8 of the Constitution that guarantees equality irrespective of race, religion, gender and place of birth.

Abolishment of vernacular schools are often backed up by ignorant and dense statements, i.e. lack of proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia amongst the students, disrespectful to our national language and so forth. All of these allegations are outrageous, if vernacular schools are really as bad as how it has been portrayed, there would not have been Malay or Indian parents sending their children to, for example, an SJK(C). 

Everyone should be allowed to practice, celebrate, and educate their mother tongue to others, as how all Malaysians have been taught to converse in our national language from a young age. We should even be considered lucky that everyone is welcomed to learn about others' diverse cultures and beautiful languages. As the saying goes, that is what makes us uniquely Malaysian.

#BicharaMalaya
#InWordsThereIsLiberty

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Nov 2021: Careless Language of Sexual Violence

Episode 1 : - Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Abuse
Few weeks ago, the issue of rape jokes resurfaced following a popular talk show video starring actor Fauzi Nawawi, who said that rape scenes are one of his favourite and he had to “restrain” himself when filming these scenes.

Not long after, Datuk Pandelela Rinong, an Olympic medalist, shared her experience on Twitter regarding a former coach who made obscene remarks in front of her and other athletes. She claimed the incident had a lasting impact on her, and the coach was later involved in a rape investigation involving a national diver. The series of events once again prompted others to call for attention to the seriousness of the problem in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, there are societal perceptions of equality, that it was acceptable to disrespect women in ways that were convenient or funny. While some would still choose to laugh it off or blame it on some excessive sense of political correctness, it is pertinent to note that the lightheartedness of these “jokes” disregarded the survivors’ trauma and the fears that women faced.

From Ain to Pandelela, it is apparent that our country’s sexual harassment landscape is not changing, but rather on a steep path of worsening. After all, no one who has survived rape or any form of sexual abuse should have to experience more pain, shame and suffering by being made to feel like they need to shut up and hide in the shadows.

As the topic of sexual violence remains prevalent in society and needs to be discussed more critically especially among the youths, it’s high time to start saying ‘no’ to unsolicited comments and lewd jokes.

Episode 2 : - Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Abuse
Following on from the previous episode, we are now looking into another case of careless language and sexual violence, about Philip Among, a politician from Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Sabah (STAR). This issue has been long lasting and deeply rooted in our society that Bichara Malaya takes the initiative to uncover these cases which are often overlooked or perceived as unimportant over economical and political issues. 

This situation may be attributed to the conservativeness of Asian society to openly discuss these issues, who also often associate it as sensitive topics as they are considered shameful to be uncovered. 

Nevertheless, trying the best to bury them, as if have not happened, does not really make it never exist. This way of handling this topic that concerns one’s mental, physical health and social justice can only make things worsen silently without being noticed and catered reasonably.

Eventually, this disastrous issue can always, at any time hit on your loved ones as it actually exists, and its extent emerges to be more concerning because these offenders are doing evil actions, with neither public nor legal sanction. 

Civic awareness and revolution does not come without any effort or price to pay, hence every member of the society has a social responsibility to contribute to this great work. It is never easy on this journey, but it will certainly be worth it. 

We strongly recommend all readers of Bichara Malaya to chip in your thoughts on this issue by referring to our submission guidelines!

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Oct 2021: ​The Rise of Religious Extremism

Episode 1 : An Alarming Phenomenon in Malaysia
As a country often portrayed as multicultural and multiconfessional, Malaysia has Islam as its official religion, and other religions can be practiced peacefully as propounded in the Federal Constitution.

While our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, one question that has to be answered by Malaysians is whether the right to practice one’s religion should go as far as to infringe others’ privacy and personal matters?
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This month, we present to you the phenomenon of religious extremism and conservatism in Malaysia based on different aspects. The monthly theme will be discussed in several posts so stay tuned for the next episode!

Episode 2 : - How it quietly infiltrate the country
Recently, the bizarre ‘Timah’ controversy once again demonstrated how Malaysia is slowly progressing backwards while religious extremism has grown wider. Indeed, such divisive tactic is not the first of its kind in Malaysia, where race and religion cards had always been the most effective ‘weapon’ to whip up political support and to divert public attention from critical issues. 

In this episode, we will discover how the actions of several political parties and organisations allow religious extremism to rage and simmer in Malaysia from three main aspects, i.e. politics, laws and economics. 

Any thought or constructive criticism is welcomed and we highly encourage you to submit your writings on this issue to Bichara Malaya!