Well, I did get a taste of the tear gas….but not even half as bad as some of those in the video did. Seriously.
The dogs in red helmets, enforcing their master’s will.
Yes, I was at the protest and I just got back. I am alright, even though I had to contend with a chokeful of tear-gas during the march, causing most of the participants to disperse. Getting the gas into your eyes and lungs is not something which you want to do. Seriously.
But I was proud to be there and battle-weary as I was, I think the GMP protest march did manage to meet its objective: to show the Western-influenced Barisan Nasional government that their implementation of the policy to teach English in Science and Mathematics is rejected by a significant majority of the masses.
I will be at Istana Negara tomorrow to attend the Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI gathering. It is a real insult to my intelligence if someone were to tell me that improving your command of English and scientific progress can only be done via the teaching of English in Mathematics and Science. Countries like Russia, Japan, France, Germany and South Korea have been doing otherwise, and you don’t see their status as scientific powerhouses to be affected. Such excuses is one promulgated by those who never understood the fundamentals of the English language in the first place anyway. I have a good command of English and today I work from home via my internet company. And I was the product of the Bahasa Melayu education system, plus I was in Science stream too.
I have always held right from the start that the excuse given by the Government saying that one’s command of English will be improved by teaching Science and Mathematics in that language is nothing more than bish-bosh and bullcrap. I was educated in the national system where Bahasa Melayu was used as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics, do you see my English being seriously affected or marred in any way? On the contrary, I read a lot of English books during my formative years at school and this “habit” continues until today. I attribute to this as a major reason why I have a very strong command of English. Certainly, this is one of the more viable ways for one to improve his/her standard of English, and not by shoving Science and Mathematical terms in English into one’s throat.