National Archives library

1 1989

Release No. 35/MAY

SPEECH BY MR SIDEK BIN SANIFF, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY (EDUCATION), AT THE SINGAPORE MALAY-MUSLIM DEVELOPMENT CONGRESS AT THE SINGAPORE CONFERENCE HALL

ON SATURDAY, 20 MAY 1989

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND HISTORY

The Malays have long ceased to be apathetic towards issues relating to their self-improvement. This is not a

new phenomenon.

They no longer beg, ask or demand. They act. Where

Malay-Muslim progress and development are concerned, most Malay-Muslim thinkers would say that these were initially hampered by three factors:

NEGLECT Some of those charged with the task of leading the people failed to discharge their duty. There were those who even oppressed the people - a situation aggravated by colonisation.

POVERTY - Either inherited or brought about by circumstances.

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ABSENCE OF - An institution that could INSTITUTION truly resolve the issue with

systematic planning and comprehensive programmes might be hampered by lack of expertise, lack of cooperation and lack of institutional powers.

If we look back at history, we would see that the question of neglect had been raised much earlier. Abdullah Munshi had pointed an accusing finger at the irresponsible elite. He said they had so oppressed the people that the latter felt that there was no point in working hard since the fruits of their labour would be enjoyed by the elite and their stooges. Hence their disinclination to work hard, as a result of which they were subsequently branded as lazy.

For tactical and stragetic reasons, the colonialists did not whole-heartedly attempt to increase the social mobility of the people through education and knowledge. If at all any attempt was made, it was confined to making the people better than their fathers who were usually farmers or fishermen.

"The aim of the government is not to turn out a few well-educated youths, nor a number of less well-educated boys; rather it is to improve the bulk of the people, and to make the son of a fisherman or a peasant a more intelligent fisherman or peasant than his father had been, and a man whose education will enable him to understand how his lot in life fits in with the scheme of life around him". (A British Director of Education in 1920).

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If one feels that this 1920 colonial attitude posed disturbing implications to the Malays of that time, this was what a British resident had to say five years before that, in 1915:

"The great object of education is to train a man to make a living.... you can teach Malays so that they do not lose their skill and craft in fishing and jungle work. Teach them the dignity of manual labour, so that they do not all become krannies (clerks) and I am sure you will not have the trouble which has arisen in India through over education".

Thus the Malays were poverty-stricken.

But not all colonialists are evil persons. There are exceptions. Decker fought alongside the Indonesian people against the Dutch. British subjects, ex-MCS officers like Winsteadt and Sweetenham criticised Mac Michael and his Malayan Unions concept. So did Captain Gamman in the House

of ‘Lords and T S Adams who was in Mac Michael's mission and whom the Malays called the "Defender of the Malays".

Nonetheless, realisation gradually dawned upon them. Realisation would invariably cause people to think. The mind is an important gift of God. The sharpened mind brought about changes, and subsequently there emerged nationalists in the political, social and journalistic fields.

Amidst elitist and colonial suppression, the people went about exploring change after change, idea after idea. They had changed and they wanted everyone to know that they had changed. They were no longer an inactive and apathetic community.

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"Let us acknowledge that the Malays have changed. The thinking of the Malays has changed". (Dato Onn).

This marked the beginning of institutional reform. Independence provided those in the Malay Peninsula an opportunity to join the biggest institution of all - Government. Subsequently we in Singapore too attained self-government with the presence of Malay-Muslim MPs in the Government.

SELF-GOVERNMENT INDEPENDENCE (1959-1965)

The relatively lower social and economic status of the Singapore Malays led the Government elected by the people in 1959 to provide free education for Malays from primary to tertiary levels from as early as 1960. The privilege is still enjoyed by the Malays today, when education still represents social mobility of increasing importance.

The Malays continued to progress. The trammels of poverty, neglect and institutional role were gradually overcome by responsible parents and leaders. The eradication of poverty through education went on unimpeded. Malay bodies and organisations continued to promote this awareness.

Merger and independence through Malaysia lent greater enthusiasm to the people.

Then came separation.

And Independence in 1965.

Singaporeans, particularly the Malays, found themselves in a new situation.

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BOLD STEP

Having inherited the "intellectual tradition" we face this new situation with intellectual sensitivity.* To this we add "intellectual courage - an attitude which must be instilled in every individual and community that wishes to progress.

We have no example to follow. More often than not, formula of yesteryear cannot be applied to solve present day problems, nor can current formula be used to solve future problems. Problems of the future require formula of the future.

Yesterday cannot represent tomorrow, far less the years ahead.

Thus, we took a bold step by accepting the wider use of English without discarding elements that serve to stablize our personality or authority such as our mother tongue, literature and religion. Hence the Malays sent their children to the English stream (national type school, recommendation by the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union, 1969-1970). The move surprised many people and gave rise to a variety of criticisms. However, it finally gained acceptance. The substantial increase in the number of Malay students in institutions of higher learning in the eighties was probably due to the positive attitude on the part of parents in the early seventies.

One decade later, when the 1980 Census of Population Report showed that although the Malays were making progress, the gap that existed between them and the other communities remained wide, we decided to pool resources and established MENDAKI, which represented a total approach towards education. Once again our government gave us its strong support and considered the matter a national issue. And now

we are endeavouring to bring about MENDAKI II, a total approach towards total development of the Malays. This move too has the moral and material support of the Government.

I feel the support given by the Government reflects its sense of commitment towards our community and it is convinced of our own determination to cane to grips with the problem. Nonetheless, we ought to realise also that no matter how much support is forthcoming from the Government, the ultimate burden of ensuring our success in bringing about changes, progress and development in our community rests squarely on our shoulders.

Last night I mentioned about MENDAKI being a "process of consolidation" and the need to make MENDAKI II a "continuum towards a higher stage of development". I explained what this "higher stage of development" was. I also said we needed to act as a big family, akin to a Cabinet, imparting values and the effect to a multi-racial society and the country as a whole.

FOUNDATION OF SINGAPORE MALAY-MUSLIM DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

This evening the question that needs a specific answer is: How do we go about all these so that eventually there will emerge a strong Malay-Muslim community with a definite role in making Singapore a dynamic and vibrant plural society?

The answer, in my opinion, is: First we must have an institution which, for the time being, we shall name MENDAKI II. MENDAKI II is a timely opportunity, and we need to decide on the following:

We should retain the name MENDAKI but with a wider sense, namely the Foundation of Singapore Malay-Muslim Development Council.

It should encompass three major areas: Education, Socio-cultural and Economy.

Its structure should be that of a limited liability company and an institution of public character (IX).

It should obtain grant, manpower and infrastructure support from the Government.

It would be amenable to proper internal control and be able to make quick decisions.

It should be able to invest money effectively.

We have already explained the reasons why we needed a limited liability company after considering three other options, namely, an association, a statutory board and a

cooperative.

OVERALL CONCEPT

Once this is accepted, we need to:

Ensure that the MENDAKI Foundation will" become a strong and functional organisation and will serve as an institution for the comprehensive and systematic approach towards the upgrading of the following groups of people:

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parents and, through them, their children. This means that the total approach to education cannot begin solely from formal schooling age. It must begin from pre-school age - between 6 months and 6 years. Cooperation between MENDAKI and other institutions including the Ministry of Education must be maintained. I wish to say that the work towards setting up a joint committee is almost completed. Once the Congress is over, we shall report to the people details of the committee's scope of activities. Our children need to make a quantum leap. One of the immediate needs is to improve their achievement in Mathematics which currently stands at 40 per cent at PSLE level. Once this is realised, improvement in other subjects such as Science and English Language is likely to follow:

graduands; professionals: associations; leaders.

give greater attention to the less fortunate, including those with social problems. A stable home should be the priority of every married couple and should be our concern also:

* broaden our financial base. We must be self-reliant and get all our workers to contribute towards the institution. We

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must also explore other avenues and show that we are determined to face these challenges:

* develop a franchise scheme and our ability to export:

* mass participation scheme should have a comfortable learning curve before any programme is formulated:

* create self-ability to prosper and attain a high level of financial capability for funding efforts towards greater growth:

* carefully monitor the world economic development in the meantime. As BG Lee said: "Government must revise its specific economic policies to cope with situations. Policies designed to work in 1986 cannot continue unaltered in 1988".;

strengthen positive attitude through the existing values which we have inherited, such as mutual help, courtesy, patience,

fear of and obedience to God, humility, solidarity and the intellectual tradition which incorporates other values such as tolerance, sympathy and mutual respect.

CULTURE AND SENSITIVE ISSUES

I am sure that you, as community leaders, will be

able to add to the principal list of priorities which I have enumerated. I would say that we would have made development and earned respect even if -we manage to translate only these basic priorities into practical terms.

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Since we have to work hard to make meaningful develoment and earn respect, it follows that our success would depend on the manner in which we uphold our culture and our religious values.

Once this is done, I am confident that we will be motivated by our culture and our religious values to "do things our way but for all". We must be conscious of this because we are living in a multi-racial society. We have successfully established closer cooperation with the other communities, and subsequent to the KEMAS Congress, the non-Malay professionals, including businessmen, government officials and MPs have been very helpful.

The Malay saying "Biar putih tulang jangan putih mata" (it is better to be dead than to be disgraced) bespeaks bravery of the highest order - bravery that is usually associated with the defence of one's honour or one's country. Demonstrated over trivialities, however, the same sense of bravery would make us appear to be egoistic, arrogant and myopic. Also "berani kerana benar, takut kerana salah" cannot be translated into the extreme: "Berani mendadak dan takut membacul" - when you are right you are too bold and when you are in the wrong you become too scared.

SENSITIVE ISSUES

The latest trend in Singapore today seems to be the inclination to discuss sensitive issues publicly. Although the trend was initially viewed with consternation by the

people, over time it began to gain acceptance. Only time will tell whether more and more people will accept the idea.

To the Malays, there is nothing new about this. The echoes of sensitive issues publicly discussed are still ringing in our ears.

Tun Sri Lanang and Abdullah Munshi in their time had resorted to such open criticisms which, however, were confined to the Malay community only. Yet the Malays were

rather shocked by Abdullah Munshi's "unrefined" critical remarks of them. Some of them even retaliated by saying that "Convention has been drastically changed by Abdullah Munshi"

Look at this quotation:

"Your Highness, I am puzzled by the stupid tradition that it is disgraceful to do bad business and yet it is not disgraceful to rob". (Hikayat Abdullah Pg 165).

On his part, Raffles, Abdullah's student said to the Sultan:

so that they will be able to speak and write English, learn arithmatic and other sciences and not be stupid like the Malays by not learning: for they can absorb lessons more quickly while they are young (and) in four or five year's time they will be smart people". (Hikayat Abdullah Pg 185).

The Malays are more inclined towards Tun Sri Lanang whose criticisms were sharper but more refined. He would allude to symbols, the universe and trees to convey his meaning. So poetic and subtle were his allusions that the string of his cricitisms would sink into the minds of those whom it was directed and yet was hardly felt.

On our part, I hope we will strike a balance between these two personalities and exercise moderation. Be frank by all means, but be courteous as well. Diplomacy is such that there are times when we should not even say the right

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Let us scrutinise this trend in the Singapore society. Some unhappiness was generated recently in some circles when the question of fees in institutions of higher learning was brought up. It represented yet another remark by those outside the Malay community about what some of them described as a privilege. We can understand such a reaction. It is a fact that the matter was decided by the present Government in 1960 in recognition of the special position of the Malays at that time. That was 30 years ago. So much water has passed under the bridge since then, and along with it the changes that have taken place in the Malay community - encouraging changes.

I think it is time for us to revise matters of this nature and to take a stand before they are raised by others. We need to be ahead in the issue so that should a new situation arise with a new approach and a new idea/we should be able to cope with it on the principle that: A new approach and a new idea culminating in a change could be implemented benefitting us and the nation as a whole.

THE BEST

Finally, in order to achieve an all-round and meaningful development, we must be willing to learn to be

thing at the wrong time. I am sure that candidness in a multi-racial society will be the latest trend not only in Singapore but in many other countries as well. This characteristically Western way has indirectly been accepted by the world's two communist giants, namely China and Russia - China with its four modernizations and Russia with its "perestroika", "glasnost" and "demokratzatsi.". They are open. The recent general elections in Russia bears testimony to this openness. Thus the world is no longer bi- polar: it is multi-polar. This is the universal trend.

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open and to draw from the best. The best may came from the Indians or the Chinese or even from the Swiss, the Japanese, the Arabs or any other race - so long as it is not in conflict with our culture and our religion. This would be in keeping with what had been achieved by Islam in. the days of glory. Islam has studied, accepted and scrutinised what it had drawn from the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews, the Indians and even the Chinese. There was no syncretism. It was in this pitfall that the West had been indirectly entrapped. The West now knows that the East has a communitarian model like Japan. They blacked out the glorious days of Islam for 800 years and, as a result, they never came across syncretism which Islam and many Eastern countries never practised. We have never been plagued by this syndrome of syncretism or hollow pride.

B3/PAS2/Pgs.l-13