the saying goes that 'bahasa mencerminkan bangsa' . i geddit. having a language to call your mother tongue is a blessing, an integral part that defines your identity.

i've gotten my fair share of tongue lashing from a lot of people, simply because i am more comfortable speaking in English than in Bahasa Malaysia. so does that make me less of a Malay? or less Malaysian that a person who speaks 100% Malay, all the time?

cos to me, speaking in English is simply a better mode of communication. simply because, i am more comfortable speaking in English, and my flow of thought is smoother in English. oftentimes, when i am teaching in class, i'd have to stop explaining a concept since i don't know the malay equivalent of that particular word/ concept. I don't speak English because I feel more American or more British. or that I avidly idolise 'bahasa penjajah'. I speak English because i'm surer of what i'm saying.

the only thing that's not very malay about me is the fact that i speak english more than malay. my value system is still very much malay. having been brought up in the states for a few years does not necessarily make me condone premarital sex or other things that aren't accepted in the malay culture. as i always tell my students, when you go abroad, learn and emulate the good values. leave the bad ones behind.

so does that make me any less malaysian?