Language for Reaching Out

As always, the Annual National Day Rally by our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long has resulted in many major changes in our country, one of which is out third language policy. Before dismissing the issue at hand as something that is talked about every year, I feel that we should take a closer look into the racial issues that were discussed in the article.

Our Prime Minister has offered various incentives to students to take up Malay or Chinese as a third language, in an conscientious effort to allow the younger generation of Singaporeans to be better equipped to communicate with those of a different ethnic group. And through effective communication will then friendships be forged, and a cultural understanding between each ethnic group is able to be established.

Reaching out to the neighboring countries in their own language, is in my opinion as important as when doing business. When we are able to communicate well with the other party when doing business, we are able to impress him, reduce miscommunications from arising and also, most importantly, gain an upper hand with the party itself. When we are able to communicate fluidly with our neighboring countries, inter country relationships would then definitely increase and everyone will be, to put in simpler terms, happy. International cohesion is now all the more important in the light of the terrorist attacks.

The article mentioned that statistics from surveys show that 80% of Chinese students and 70% of Malay students do not mix with students from other races. This certainly is important, due to the fact that now is a time where acts of terrorism can, and will break the bonds that hold the different races together. An inability to communicate when crisis strikes will certainly prove to be the downfall of any great nation. Better relations with our neighbors can start just with a simple step from just forming a better friendship with that Malay boy sitting in a corner by your class, or by starting to talk to that Indonesian boy who just came in through an exchange program.

When I was filling out the form for the selection of schools to go to after receiving my PSLE results, I was given a list of third languages that I could opt to study. I rejected it, then thinking that it would be useless and a waste of my time, despite my parents stressing to me the importance of learning a third language. But now, in Secondary Three I realize the mistake I made then. By learning a third language, an exponential growth of knowledge is acquired. With that linguistically ability, one could explore the world that was closed before due to the lack of command of the language. One would be open to more business opportunities, and as they say, Knowledge is power, and with that knowledge I could better serve my country and bring glory to the nation.

Teen Crime getting out of control

When reading the article, the first thing that came to my mind was the audacity of the teenagers in Britain. Killing, vandalizing and smoking seem to be commonplace by the teens in a supposedly first world country. Being a teen myself, I find it very disturbing that teens in Britain are so daring and defiant towards the general public. They do not seem to give any thought to the consequences of their actions. We witness loss of life when in ill health, automobile accidents and also during acts of terrorism. All of these above mentioned have an explainable reason behind it. But what is the most disturbing about the situation now is that a teen dies due to an act of violence from another youth.

In the article, a man was killed after challenging a group of youths over a half eaten chocolate bar thrown into his sister’s car, In this case, the teens were in the wrong, yet when being scolded, they took this wrong further and killed the man. This certainly is a shocking revelation, and has also brought me to further question what the authorities in Britain are doing about this situation.

Although they have already identified the cause of these problems, and also what needs to be done, they are, as the article states “ only plastering the wounds” . The real problem here is not yet solved. The fact that the teens are able to acquire knives and firearms so easily is also another disturbing fact.

As mentioned in the article, some people are afraid to stay out at night due to the many teenager “gangs” around. No doubt, fear already gripes the hearts of those who fear for their own safety. The irony in this is that the adults are afraid of the teenagers now, a hundered and eighty degree switch from the previous times. Last time we were told to stay away from adults, now parents in Britain tell their children to stay away from teenagers.

Being brought up in an environment where even talking too loud would earn you stern glares from all around you, and where the Chinese values of loyalty, justice and uprighteousness are imbued within me since young, it seems like an exaggerated story tale to me when I hear of all these teen crimes in Britain that is happening. Britain should start by taking a leaf out of Singapore’s book . Only by implementing stricter laws, by restricting the youths access to firearms and such, will the situation then be able to improve.

Britain is now in a downward spiral. As the years pass, the young will grow old. How will Britain be like twenty years from now, when the same troubled teenager who smoked, drank and even killed in the past now takes over the role of the adult, in charge of running the country? Why, utter chaos would ensue and Britain then would be stuck in a never ending downward spiral, doomed to failure. Now that the problem has been identified, the current leaders must take action immediately, and not wait for the case to explode and have another Virginia Tech massacre happening in the world.