New nations tend to suffer from excessive politicking. Being moderate in many ways, politicking in Malaysia has permeated most aspects of nation building, bringing effects that are more long-term than if we had not been so moderate. This is most obvious in the field of education.
THERE IS ONE particular issue in this country that never fails to incite fierce debate, with passionate arguments – and the occasional flying brick – from all sides of the divide. This has been the case for a very long time, and its history is one that runs parallel to our nation’s own. To chronicle its story would be to journey through the annals of our own ethno-political experience, from early immigrant settlements to colonial dominance and finally to the many compromises that have been effected since political independence was achieved. Today, the story is by no means over; it is one that is constantly evolving (and tormenting) our sociopolitical structure.
