Yet again, our beloved Prime Minister has resorted to calling names. Sadly, he doesn't seem to understand why in the world we are resisting his calls to unite behind his "vision". I don't like to blame him, not now, as he belongs to a different generation - the "Ultra Malays" - and has lost all credibility. His ideas simply don't seem to belong to Modern Malaysia.

I would like to quote something from the past for clarification:

"The basis of national unity, simply stated, is a single ethnic group possessing a common language, culture and religion confined within an area of definite geographical boundaries. All these factors when present together have never failed to create a nation in the old sense of the word. [emphasis added]

"In modern times, the United States of America became a great experiment in nation-building. When the 13 colonies gained independence they proved that kings were not important in uniting people. After gaining independence, the settlers of Anglo-Saxon stock began admitting immigrants of different ethnic and racial stocks with different religious, cultures and languages. The question was whether the adoption and not the inheritance of a common language and culture could create loyalty to a given legal state. The United States is of course a legal state, not a natural state with geographical barriers as boundaries.

"During the period of intensive immigration to the United States in the 19th century, the new nation was severely tested. New immigrants ranged from Chinese to Russians. Practically every ethnic and language group was included. Knowledge of English, the official language among immigrants, was minimal or nil, as was knowledge of the culture and historical background of the United States. Religions were equally diverse.

"Out of this polyglot mixture of people, national unity was built primarily on a basis of language. The 13 colonies were settled by people who spoke English, and they and their descendants were the core of the nation. Here an important principle was established and upheld - immigrants wishing to be nationals had to learn English as the national language and its acceptance had to be complete, and the language actually spoken in everyday life. There was no question of saying: "We accept English as the official language of the United States," and then ignoring it. Much less was there any suggestion that immigrant languages should be placed anywhere near English or even officially tolerated. Indeed, it was a condition of citizenship, implied through loyalty to the constitution, that new citizens of non-Anglo Saxon origin did not have the right to insist on the parity of any other language with English." [emphasis added]

Dr Mahathir Mohamad said these in his book The Malay Dilemma.

Thirty years have passed since he wrote the book. Yet in the light of all that he has uttered thus far on this matter - i.e., Vision Schools - I have a strong feeling that he has not abandoned the "melting pot" analogy.

But many things have changed. Now, cultural diversity is a commodity. Even the US, the place Mahathir seemed to have admired as far as nation building goes, has abandoned its nation building efforts that were guided by the notion of a "melting pot." Two of the most dynamic cities in the US - New York and San Francisco - actually have bilingual schools! Gone were the days of nation building; it has been replaced by the idea of empowerment of the individual. These days only the bigots - the KKK and their ilk - talk about nation building.

Mahathir, in his zeal to impose his outmoded thinking on the peoples of Malaysia, has gone about accusing others of being extremists and communists. But he should recognise that the ethnic minorities in Malaysia, actually possess an inherent right as might be recognised by international instruments, to pursue their education in their own mother tongue if they so choose. Even though Malaysia isn't party to the conventions, we must recognise that it is an emerging norm, which before long would be deemed inviolable.

See for instance the Convention against Discrimination in Education. Article 1(b) provides that "the establishment or maintenance, for religious or linguistic reasons, of separate educational systems or institutions offering an education which is in keeping with the wishes of the pupil's parents or legal guardians, if participation in such systems or attendance at such institutions is optional and if the education provided conforms to such standards as may be laid down or approved by the competent authorities, in particular for education of the same level [is allowed]."

And, from the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities:

Article 1(1): States shall protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and shall encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.

Article 2(1): Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities (hereinafter referred to as persons belonging to minorities) have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.

Article 5(1): National policies and programmes shall be planned and implemented with due regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to minorities.

Now pray tell, who is the extremist? Who is stuck in the past, pursuing primitive policies that clearly do not reflect the needs and the necessities of a progressive nation?

I leave it to the readers to decide.