Enslavement of our mind continues despite the coloniser having long gone

Malaysia has successfully used education as a tool of social engineering and upward social mobility.
Primary and secondary education is free and open to all irrespective of race or religion. Tertiary education is highly subsidised.
Though the Government is unable to meet the aspirations of all who seek higher education, the opportunities for upward mobility through higher education are exhilarating.
However, how far our tertiary educational system emancipates us from servile dependence on and mental slavery to Western education is another question.
As we celebrate National Day it must be remembered that the stains of cultural and intellectual imperialism do not end with the attainment of political freedom.
Freedom is a state of the mind and, regrettably, the enslavement of our mind still continues long after the coloniser had gone back home.
Most of our universities blindly ape European curricula and European paradigms.
We ignore the knowledge systems and traditions of the East.
Our books, syllabi and intellectual icons are mostly from the West. Our list of experts, external examiners and guest speakers are mostly European.
Towering personalities of our own region are shunned. Decades have passed, but our servile minds have not woken up to the damage done to our psyche.
While parochialism and narrow chauvinism are not called for, we have to take pride in our own heritage and draw sustenance from it before supplementing it with wisdom from elsewhere.
Nevertheless, as the commemoration day of our independence draws nigh, we must count our many blessings.
There is much in Malaysia’s struggles and successes that is worthy of emulation by friends and foes alike.
This is not to say that we should be complacent. As we celebrate 54 years of independence, our laws and institutions, our values and our views cannot remain impervious to the changes and challenges all around us.
In the realm of law and politics, there are always new challenges and opportunities that beckon the human spirit.
> Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM.
Full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp? col=reflectingonthelaw&file=/2011/8/24/columnists/reflectingonthelaw/9353953&sec=Reflecting On The Law