MALAYAN CULTURE AND THE ENGLISH-EDUCATED

8.46 p.m.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng (Mountbatten): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I refer you to "The Tasks Ahead", Part 1, page 12, second paragraph, where the Minister for Culture says:

"Of the inevitability of a Malayan nation, we are convinced. Our concern is with how this Malayan is to be brought into being - whether it is to be brought about painlessly and smoothly or whether it must be attended by tragedy and suffering, bitter communal conflicts and inter-racial carnage."

Sir, there is no reason why it cannot be brought into being painlessly and smoothly, especially when a Malayan culture and a Malayan nation has already been brought into being a hundred years ago. But instead of receiving encouragement, there was an attempt in the early 20th century to annihilate it. But the attempt was not entirely successful, for there still exists in Singapore a people called Peranakans. The Peranakans, Sir, include all the people, regardless of their race, born in Singapore, and of all social standing, from all walks of life, who do not claim allegiance to the land of their forefathers, but claim Singapore as their motherland and their homeland. There are Chinese, Malay, Boyanese, Eurasian, Indian and Arab Peranakans. As a matter of fact, two nights ago I met some Arabs. They were too proud to call themselves Peranakans. These non-communal Peranakans from the different social strata are indeed the sons of the soil and have to some degree been successful in developing a Malayan language, custom, tradition and culture. They are the people who, having adapted themselves and risen to meet the needs of Singapore at a time when the value of English education was scarcely recognised, and realising that the prosperity of a colonially governed Singapore depended on the ability of the people to be able to read, speak and write the language of the ruling race, worked hard to equip themselves with those qualifications, while the others were busy over their trading to make money to send abroad to their homeland. Did these wealth-seekers who reaped Singapore's harvests just to send them abroad, help to build Singapore? No. It is the Peranakans who, though comprising several races, for various reasons, some because of intermarriage, have decided to make Singapore their homeland. It is these people who have rolled up their sleeves, Sir, and formed the backbone of the civil service - the civil service, which has brought Singapore to what it is today.

It is to the multi-racial Peranakans that we owe the present prosperity of Singapore, not to those traders who, far from caring to equip themselves with the necessary fundamentals for the building of a Singapore or Malayan nation or culture, were draining this island of its wealth.

Here is a report on the status of women in South-East Asia, published under the joint auspices of U.N.E.S.C.O. and the Asian Relations Organisation. It says

The Prime Minister rose -

Mr Speaker: Point of order?

The Prime Minister: Sir, on a point of information.

Mr Speaker: Point of information. If the hon. Lady will give way.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: At the end of my speech, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The hon. Lady will give way at the end of her speech.

The Prime Minister: When the tent has folded up!

Mr Speaker: Order.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: "A further major division exists between the China-born whose ties (kin, cultural, and probably economic) with the home country remain very strong and the Straits-born - the Malayan Chinese - whose speech, custom and outlook have been more or less deeply conditioned by the South-East Asian environment." Sir, the strength of the ties of the immigrants with their home countries can be seen when they refused to allow their children to learn either the language of the governing race or the national language of the island, which is Malay, and insisted on their being educated in the language and culture of their home country. This patriotism to one's homeland surely could not have helped towards the building of Singapore or a Malayan nation.

Contrary to this attitude, the Peranakans, be they of Malay, Chinese, Indian or Eurasian origin, owing no allegiance to any other country except the land of their birth - Singapore - went about identifying themselves as the sons of the soil, with the result that a Malayan nation and culture was slowly and unconsciously brought into being during the 100-odd years of Singapore's development.

Did the Peranakans receive any encouragement in this nation building? No. The English schools knowingly or unknowingly were helping to kill it. In the early 20th century, pupils of English schools were discouraged from speaking their mother tongue. In some schools (I happened to be in one of them) the pupils were even fined if they spoke in the vernacular. And when they talked of their customs, traditions and superstitions especially, they were looked upon as queer and even made to look silly. Eventually, these students learnt to accept the fact that the only language or culture worth being proud of is the Western language and culture.

It is noteworthy then that in spite of this, they have not, as the Prime Minister remarked in his speech at the Union of Journalists luncheon, "taken to the English set of values and ideals". When the Prime Minister said "the English-educated are divided, almost emasculated as a result of deculturalisation", I am sure he was not referring to the Peranakans, because, in my opinion, all is not yet lost with the Peranakans. There are still traces and remnants of this Malayan culture, although outmoded and ignored today. Those who are jealous of the privileges that the Peranakans have earned through their foresight, their loyalty to Singapore and the trouble they have taken to equip themselves for the position they now hold may deny that there was such a Malayan nation and culture. But even those jealous people cannot deny that the people who have in the course of over 100 years developed a language, literature, drama, songs and dances, traditions, customs, costumes, hair styles, cuisine, games and religion of their own, have the right to claim that they have founded a Malayan nation and culture.

Let us examine these claims one by one. Let us first take up their claim on language.

Mr Speaker: Order. I think the hon. Member for Mountbatten will agree that she is probably referring to her notes a bit too much. There is a Standing Order which says that a Member shall not read his speech.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Sorry, Sir! The people of Kelantan and Trengganu speak a dialect different from that spoken in Johore or Singapore. The Hokkien in Penang is different from the Hokkien in Singapore. Therefore, there is no reason why the Peranakans in Singapore should not be allowed to speak the dialect of Malay that they now have in Singapore. If Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and all the different Chinese dialects can be spoken without prejudice to Mandarin being the national language, then why cannot these different states-

The Prime Minister: Mandarin is not the national language.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: No, it is the national Chinese language. Why cannot the different states of Malaya, Singapore as well, have their own dialects in Malay - each state speaking its own Malay without prejudice to the "Bahasa" Malay being the national literary Malayan language? After all, this Malay that the Peranakans speak has been generally accepted by many races. Many races are speaking it. In fact, the Chinese understand it better than the real Malay.

The Prime Minister also thought it a strange thing that the English-educated Chinese from Malaya should find more in common with the English-educated non-Chinese in Malaya than with the English-educated Chinese from other countries. For me, I do not think there is anything strange in that. I feel that it is further proof of their loyalty to Singapore and their sense of a Malayan nation.

With regard to literature, legends from China have been translated into this Peranakan Malay. Bibles and hymns are also translated in this Malay. The pantun Peranakan is still very popular in Singapore amongst the Peranakans, especially among the Chinese Peranakans, and their poems and proverbs are also translated in the Peranakan Malay. Many of these proverbs and poems can be traced back to Malay literature; a few are of Chinese origin.

As for songs and dances, we have already been told recently by an expert from Radio Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, that the kronchong was of Chinese and Indonesian origin and the ronggeng, which is very popular among Chinese and Eurasian Peranakans, has a Portuguese origin. Though in a very amateurish fashion, the Peranakans have attempted a small operetta called the "Chik Siti". It is very amateurish, I admit. But it is a nucleus to start with and a foundation to build up. The Peranakan songs were very popular once upon a time. In fact, I believe there is a club in Singapore which tries to keep this culture alive. They meet regularly and they get together to sing these songs so as to keep them alive. Such efforts to keep the culture of their forefathers alive should, I think, receive encouragement. As for the drama, again I suppose the plays are of an amateurish fashion. Yes! But the Peranakans do have their Wayang Peranakan which is very popular amongst not only Chinese Peranakans but also amongst very many races. I am sure the Government would do well and would be doing a service to Malayan culture if they were to try and raise the standard of what has been going on rather than look down upon it with contempt, as the Colonial Singapore was inclined to do.

Their customs and hair styles here are a classic example of the Peranakans selecting the best from the different races and making it a Singapore fashion. The sarong is of Malay origin; the long dress, not that of today [I am talking of what we call the old fashioned dress which is of Sumatra origin and the head-dress] is a copy of one of the Chinese hair styles. These have made such an attractive combination that years ago not only Chinese Peranakans but Eurasian and Indian women also wore these costumes. In fact, even today we find Eurasian and Indian and also some Chinese women wearing them - very few, but there are still some. And the strange thing is, whereas in everyday wear the dress is of Malayan origin, the headdress is of Chinese origin, in the bridal trousseau, the grander and richer Chinese bridal costume has been adopted, and the hair style which is partly of Malayan and partly Indonesian origin with a touch of the Siamese in the jewellery worn on the hair has been selected to go with the grand Chinese costume of the bride.

As for customs, here again is something which is very peculiar and unique amongst the Chinese Peranakans, or as they sometimes term themselves, "Singaporeans". To quote one example, in a wedding, besides the real parents, the bridal couple have to have ceremonial parents. The bride has to have a ceremonial mother who has to be a Chinese Singaporean or a Chinese Peranakan woman, but the bridegroom has to have a ceremonial father who preferably has to be a Malay or at least dressed in Malay traditional costume. This is out of date now. Very few people marry in this fashion now but it was the fashion some time ago. As I said, the customs and traditions of these Peranakans have been looked down upon as something queer and not something to be proud about.

Sir, I have not related all this just to entertain the hon. Members of the House or the gallery-

An hon. Member: You want to revive it!

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: - but I have made an attempt to show that the synthetising of cultures and customs which the Minister for Culture hopes to foster had already begun to take shape over a hundred years ago, and that it is ideal to build on this foundation.

Sir, it is already very late and if I were to describe some of the Peranakan dishes, they might make us feel hungry. So let it suffice for me to say that the Peranakan cuisine, though obviously a conglomeration of Malayan, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese cuisine, is unique in taste and flavour.

As for religion, here again the non-communal spirit can be seen. Every ninth month of the year, the Chinese Peranakans especially - there are some Eurasians and some Indians too - go to Kusu Island and worship the kramat. Now, opposite the building that houses the kramat is the building that houses what is called the "Tua Peh Kong" [Laughter]. I do not know why there is so much laughter about what has been done for so many years. After all, we should respect the customs of the people of those times, especially those of our forefathers. The main fact is that they are non-communal and they worship in a building housing a Malay kramat and also the Chinese Tua Peh Kong. This is an example of the non-communal spirit that existed.

Sir, in the Straits Times, the Prime Minister, referring to the English-educated, said:

"In the past, said Mr Lee, they have been most favourably placed and treated in colonial Malaya. The British not unnaturally preferred to deal with people who could speak their language and who understood their manners and mannerisms. Therefore the English educated have risen to the highest positions both in Government service and in their professions."

Sir, this is further proof of the intelligence of those people at that time, who knew what they needed to get to those positions. Those were the days of the colonial government no doubt, not the self-governing Singapore. The requirements then were different from the requirements today. Nevertheless, I am confident, Sir, that if the English-educated multi-racial Peranakans were given justice, a fair deal and a chance, there is no doubt that they will again rise to the occasion and adapt themselves to the present situation and co-operate with Government in the social revolution, as the Prime Minister wanted them to do. The possibility of this has been manifested by the remarks of the Prime Minister of Malaya, Tengku Abdul Rahman, which made headlines in the Sunday Mail of 30th August. It says:

"ENGLISH-EDUCATED PRAISED BY TENGKU"

They helped me greatly in my job as Premier and never gave any trouble. I am sure I can rely on them and with their help and moral support we can achieve our aim."

Sir, there is very little difference between the English-educated in Malaya and the English-educated in Singapore, and I am sure if the English-educated in Malaya could be so helpful to the Prime Minister there, the English educated here can be just as helpful to our Prime Minister if they were given a chance. Much depends on the Prime Ministers themselves!

In the Straits Times of 21st August, the Ministry of Culture was quoted as saying:

"As far as the P.A.P. Government is concerned, it will try as far as it is within its power to see that a Malayan culture and a Malayan nation emerge peacefully."

Mr Speaker: Order. I do not know whether the hon. Lady hopes to have a reply from the Ministerial Benches, because if she does, I might remind her that there are only six minutes left.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Sir, a Malayan nation and a Malayan culture have already emerged peacefully. So peaceful was the emergence that it has not been noticed by many. It is now up to the Hon. Minister for Culture to revitalise and nurse it to maturity. Even the Deputy Prime Minister advocates the use of what is already in existence as a basis, for he was reported in the Straits Times of 23rd August as saying:

"It is important that if we wish to make Malay a popular national language in the shortest possible time then we should use what is already in existence as a basis."

We have a basis to work on, Sir, It depends on whether we want to use it.

And again in "The Tasks Ahead", page 12, the Minister for Culture says-

An hon. Member: Bible!

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Sir, I think the Government should be proud that their book has been used so much by the opposition. The fact that even the Opposition makes use of this book shows that it is useful [Interruption].

Mr Speaker: Order.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: He says:

"The biggest obstacle in the way of a Malayan nation today is communalism."

And he goes on to say:

"Perhaps the major role of the present generation of politicians will be to stamp out communal fires before they spread."

I agree with him entirely, Sir. But may I add that stopping communal wars is not sufficient. I hope Government will not tolerate any attempt at promoting class war, for it is more destructive and dangerous than communal war. If a communal war should break out in Singapore, we have religious leaders and community leaders to whom the masses will listen, but should a class war break out, there are no recognised class leaders who will be able to influence the masses.

If the classes who are not English-educated have had a raw deal in the past due to - to use the phrase of the Prime Minister - "the historical situation", let us pull our weight together and lift them out of this deplorable situation without embittering them against the others. This is the safest, surest and quickest method of achieving the goal of a Malayan nation and a Malayan culture.

Sir, I do hope that what I have said will be taken in the right spirit. I have no intention at all to criticise the Government for the sake of criticism. I firmly believe that the only way an Opposition of 8 against 43 can serve the public is to behave in a sincere, constructive and responsible mariner, giving credit where credit is due and offering constructive criticisms if we feel that they are in the paramount interest of the people. I fully realise that we can never hope to out-vote the Government and my only hope is that Government will reciprocate our sincere, constructive and responsible behaviour with a fair and reasonable attitude, taking our bouquets as our sincere compliments and our criticisms as our honest opinion. Government need not necessarily concur with our opinions but they should give credit to the fact that there can be another school of thought and that the Opposition although representing the minority, democracy demands that we be given our chance to express our views which should be given due consideration. I have no doubt that if the Opposition behaves in a constructive and responsible manner, it would embarrass any democratic government to ignore or treat it with contempt.

Mr Speaker: Order. I was just wondering how that ties in with Malayan culture. We have 1� minutes left.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: I have finished, Sir, I just wanted to make it clear that I am not making all these remarks in the spirit of criticising the Government.

The Prime Minister rose -

Mr Speaker: Mr Prime Minister, you have just one and a half minutes.

The Prime Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir,I am quite sure the hon. Lady from Mountbatten can hardly expect me to reply in one and a half minutes. But I have just about enough time to say to her that I do not think peranakan is what we like to be. I opened up the Malay-English dictionary by R. O. Winstedt, who is supposed to be quite an authority on these matters. I took this dictionary from the C.P.A. Room, although I must confess I am not quite sure whether the notice in the C.P.A. Room means "Do not remove any book from the room" or "Do not remove it from the building". I hope it is "Do not remove it from the building".

It says here - on page 4 - "peranakan" means "foreigners but locally born", "Jawi peranakan is Muslim Tamils born in Malaya often with a Malay mother." I do not know about the latter, but I certainly object to anybody - and I have already objected to the Member for Kampong Kembangan - calling us bangsa asing. Bangsa asing or peranakan - that is not a matter which this Government accepts with equanimity. We are Raayat Malaya. For the convenience of ladies like the Member for Mountbatten who teaches English in an English school, we are the people of Malaya, called Malayan.

The Question having been proposed at fourteen minutes to Nine o'clock p.m. and the Debate having continued for half an hour, Mr Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned accordingly at sixteen minutes past Nine o'clock p.m. to Tuesday, 22nd September, 1959. APPENDIX I(Cols 0629-0630)

APPENDIX II(Cols 0629-0630)

APPENDIX III(Cols 0631-0632)

APPENDIX IV(Cols 0631-0632)