The Trouble of English

Kalau kita tanya siapa2 pun soalan ini, "Apa benda yang penting bila nak masuk alam kerja?", jawapan yang paling penting nr 1 akan kita terima adalah,

"English. Boleh cakap english".

Before this, I don't take that things seriously. I know it's important but i don't feel it by myself. However the perception had changed since the last 3 days at the CareerExpo in UKM. I went there for a chance to experience potential interviews and have a look at various companies and their presentations to the public.

What I experienced was revealing- each and everyone of the company's representatives (ada booths masing2) speak English. Doesn't matter if the representative is a Malay, if he is speaking to another Malay or whatever, they all speak English. Fluent. And they expect us to answer in English too.

Saya boleh bercakap English, tapi basic simple English saja dan bukan pada speed seperti debater. More like...Anwar Ibrahim when he try to answer questions in English. That's my English level. With that I consider myself as 'lucky' because at least I can speak-ask-answer-joke in English. 

But I believe many others are not so fond and comfortable with English.

One simple incident here. There at the CareerExpo saya nampak sekumpulan gadis Melayu alim2 bertudung labuh. Dalam 4,5 orang jalan2 pusing booths yang ada. Mereka akan berhenti di mana2 booth yang berkenan dan cuba tanya. Then the representative will release a barrage of English sentences. I can see clearly the blank-hard to catch up facial expressions from the gadis2. Just as the man finished talking, the gadis2 will say thank you and walk away. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. Same situations when they go to another 2, 3 booths. 

Another incident. Semester ini saya ambil Bahasa Cina Asas 1. Dalam kelas tu semua student adalah Melayu kecuali sorang Sarawakian yang saya tak pasti bangsa apa. Anyway, my colleague sitting beside me is a male. Our lecturer (he's a Chinese, Malaysian) speaks English all the time in the class. Explains in English, give examples in English and even spew some jokes in English. Okay, my friend beside me always, always, always seems lost everytime Mr. Tng explain the words-sentences-rules. After Mr Tng finish talking, my friend beside me will ask me "eh ni maksud dia apa? Eh ni boleh pakai tak? Eh tadi dia kata apa?" In other words, dia macam betul2 lost dan tak paham apa pun yang Mr. Tng sampaikan. Either that or he really didn't pay any attention during class.

Now I had only finished chapter 3 of a book called To Digress A Little. The author is a famous (amongst BN-serious blogger-alim guys) blogger, a successful Malay. His ideas are good but rather controversial to average Muslim/Malay.  Ok back to that chapter 3: Gentrification of Kuala Lumpur?

Honestly i don't feel good after reading it. It is a pure criticizing article written to make Malay people insaf dan sedar akan diri mereka. In that chapter he give his views about the 'gentrification' of Kuala Lumpur done by non-Malay. Sebenarnya apa yang dia cerita tu adalah sama konsep dengan apa yang Tun Mahathir tulis dalam buku The Malay Dilemma tahun 1970 dulu. Survivality of Malay people...terlalu bergantung pada kerajaan....tak amik 'tongkat' yang diberi untuk kumpul duit beli 'kereta'....housing properties yang 'makin lama orang melayu boleh masuk hutan'. Things like that. Apa yang jadi serious problem untuk hapuskan problem ni menurut PakSyed adalah: ketidakbolehan Melayu untuk cakap English. Tak reti speaking. Dan ada satu lagi faktor, tapi itu terlalu kontroversi. 

Jadi, semua ni menandakan satu saja- saya kena pandai cakap English. Pandai menulis English tu bagus, tapi tak cukup. Saya kena capai tahap boleh cakap English dengan selesa, boleh bincang dengan selesa dan boleh melawak dalam English dengan selesa.

Sebab saya rasa sedih bilamana dalam DECTAR waktu CareerExpo tu student2 Cina dan India bertanya banyak soalan, bertukar2 pendapat dan selalu cari peluang untuk bercakap sedangkan yang student2 Melayu pula banyaknya diam, jalan slow2 dan tak bertanya apa pun. Lepas tu balik diam2, apa pun tak dapat. 

Saya tak semestinya boleh tolong orang lain, tapi saya pasti saya boleh tolong diri sendiri.