志异 Draft by Drama box July 2014 (english) | Page 18

only Nantah but perhaps even more
devastating was the elimination of
Chinese secondary and primary
schools). This was because we
had a relatively more dependable
system of Chinese education in
the form of independent Chinese
secondary schools that struggled
to survive against the odds. But we
may also have been subconsciously
influenced by Singaporean values.
By the time I finished secondary
school, we were even collecting
Chinese speeches made by Lee
Kuan Yew every year during
Singapore’s National Day. After
some enquiry, I realised that many
locals from southern Johor did
the same. Our elders were also
paying close attention and listening
carefully to his speeches, even
though they fumed at his decision
to close down Nantah. This was in
stark contrast to the torrent of angry
abuse that arose whenever some
comment from a rich businessman
in the Malaysian Chinese
Association claiming to ‘represent
the Chinese’ appeared in the news.
As for those from the opposition,
one could only sigh watching them
being driven to a dead end by the
reality of Malaysia’s racial politics.

column one – ng kim chew

When Singapore
launched its
Speak Mandarin
Campaign, the
effects were
felt even in
South Johor. My
illiterate mother,
for example,
learnt Mandarin
by watching
Singaporean
television drama
serials.

our singapore