Language ideological debates: national identity construction in the Philippines and Malaysia

Abstract

This panel addresses the question of English as a medium of instruction in both the Philippines and Malaysia. In the Philippines, the promotion of English is a site of active resistance as different camps debate over the practical value of English on one hand, and the potential threat of English to Filipino identity on the other. In Malaysia, the promotion of English as part of the bilingual education policy also raises similar questions as Malaysians disagreed over the role of English for Malaysians and what it might mean for the construction of Malaysian national identity. The two papers by Ruanni Tupas and Peter Tan will detail the complexities of these debates in these two countries, and the authors will identify the issues and problems that have emerged from these debates. The commentator for this panel, Chng Huang Hoon, will summarize and comment on the issues that are identified in these two papers, and will also furnish comment, where relevant, by alluding to the Singaporean situation.