THAT MILLSTONE AROUND OUR CHILDREN'S NECK.

Last night over you-know-what amongst some former students in The Oval, one asked me "How come you did not get arrested?" Of course he was referring to the march to hand over the memorandum to the Agong about reverting the teaching of Maths and Science back to the National Language.

My answer was BRASH; however all five of us knocked our glasses and bottoms-up that heavenly malt at my retort: "I don't eat shit and die, just because PR says so." I took the opportunity to tell my blokes that although some have classified me as a socio-political blogger, I really am NOT. I don't blame people of course if they have stigmatised me as such, just because of the hyphenated word. I blog more on social issues, civil society issues, and missteps by by politicians from both sides of the deepening divide. I never claimed infallibility, I just ask for understanding, guidance, to be heard, and hunger for non-partisan feedback.....quality feedback that gives solutions rather than abominations.

So what about this MILLSTONE bit. Long before the blender came into our kitchen, we had that slab of granite, and the granite roller pin. We "geling rumpah" with that. As punishment I was often told my Mum to geling rumpah. I did not mind it because we were going to have curry that day. But it became punishment when Sonny, Boy, Kechik and Rat is hollering outside to come out to play. It is during these times that I added more zapp to the rumpah.....crook your first finger across your forehead and fling your sweat onto the rumpah! But Rat and Kechik's mother had a millstone. Why do you think I love tosai. That was simpler than ours at home when you need to use both hands, forward and backwards......today, my parents would be cited for child abuse for making me geling rumpah.

So you see, there is a lot of science and what-have-you in the millstone. It is damn heavy, you bet.

Idiomatically we have heard this: A Millstone around one's neck is also a phrase used constituting a metaphor meaning a burden or large inconvenience one has to endure.

Historically: Neolithic man used millstone functionality to process grains, nuts and other vegetable food products for consumption. These implements are often called grinding stones. They used either saddlestones and rotary querns turned by hand. Such devices were also used to grind pigments and metal ores prior to smelting.

I did not participate in the march because I did not subscribe to it. I hold strongly to the National Language as a bonding must.....but when it is used for other nefarious purposes, like politicising it, you do not have my support.

The Holy Scriptures said it would be better to have a millstone tied around our necks and cast into the depths of the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Why do we want to put our kids through all these, because some politicians are feverishly stirring the pot to unearth some frothy issues. Haven't we have enough issues than we can handle?

This issue is about children's future and wellness and not political tactics or scoring partisan points.

We have a moral responsibility to care for our children. Who would dissemble or play politics with our children's futures?

Everyone who has anything to do with or cares about children in our country knows that this is the way to go, have Maths and Science continue as the medium of instruction, until our politicians can coin a more creative media.