Malaysian actor Adam Corrie caught the attention of netizens recently after revealing that he opted not to send his son to a Chinese school, a move that many believed signalled a rejection of Mandarin.
The actor, who is a Chinese Muslim, said that the reason was simply that his son had shown no interest in the language. Adam, who speaks mostly Hokkien with his family members, couldn’t be of much help when it comes to tutoring his son in Mandarin.
In his Facebook post this morning (14 January), Adam denied rejecting Mandarin. He explained:
“I sent him to a Chinese kindergarten previously, but not for long. It was obvious that he wasn’t interested.
“I myself am of Chinese Hokkien descent. I speak a lot of Hokkien, and as for Mandarin (which is used in Chinese vernacular schools), I can understand or speak the bare minimum. It’s not my mother tongue.”
Additionally, the actor expressed that he has no wish to compel his child to study something he shows no interest in. He added that to enter a Chinese-medium school, a child usually needs to undergo at least two years of education in a Chinese kindergarten, and he accepts this reality with an open heart.
Consequently, he decided to send his son to a Sekolah Kebangsaan (National School).
“As parents, we’re there to support, not force”
In his post, Adam, who is known for his role as Dragon in the KL Gangster movie, also pointed out that everyone has their own interests, and as parents, there’s only one thing they can do: show support, and not force their child into doing something that is not aligned with their interests.
In another post, Adam also revealed that most of his daily conversations revolve around Bahasa Melayu, as he is primarily involved in productions for Malay dramas and movies.
“There are many Chinese people who can’t speak the language, and they speak BM among themselves. There’s nothing weird about it,” the actor quipped.
What do you think of this?
Also read: Content Creator from China Says We Can Survive in Malaysia By Just Speaking Chinese
