There is a nation in the world that has used English since 100 years ago, and yet still not be able to speak like a native. Besides, they are proud of their modifications in English. When they end a phrase, they often use the word ‘Lah’ to end it. I know you are going to say “I know where that is, that is the oasis of SouthEast Asia, Singapore!”, If I were to be harsh, I would stop writing now, but as an amateur and newborn writer, temper has to be controlled. If you have Singapore in your mind, you are not entirely wrong, but the precise answer would be the hinterland of Singapore, Malaysia.

Malaysia and Singapore in many ways share the same cultures and languages, the relationships between two countries are intriguing. Every time when they meet, amicable smiles are always presented in front of the media, and yet the temperature of uneasiness may be boiling to its highest invisibly. They are always fighting for a certain kind of recognition and the duels are not only among intellectuals, but also grassroots. My meagre knowledge has restricted me from giving comment on policies that they have been debating, but when some of the fancy magazines announce that Singapore has the best Laksa or Cendol, the frustration would be there like any policymaker.

Singapore has Laksa, we have it too; Singapore has Cendol, we have it too; Singapore has Nasi Padang, we have it too; and Singaporeans say ‘Lah’, we have it too. Apart from the food, the amount of similarities in our comprehensible pidgin English are significant, moreover, in Malaysian English, we often call it Manglish, is even more diverse than Singapore.

My father once told me his experience with a German lady while he was on duty in a Chinese temple. The temple was located in the middle of the sea, we called it jetty. From time to time, my father and his friends would buy some fish and put them into the sea. It was not any biological proven way to help the ecosystem, it was only a ritual. In Taoism and Buddhism, they believe that those who freed living things from captivity would be blessed by the gods. That afternoon under the scorching sun, my father was holding a plastic bag full of small fishes. The German lady approached my father out of curiosity and asked him what he was doing. My father replied: “This good” he spread his arms towards the sea “give them alive” then poured the fish out of the bag. My father then continued his fervent conversation with the German Lady using his limited vocabulary and expressive body language.

The diversity in our languages is beyond verbal, but in order to catch the pace of first world countries, I am forced to ‘sanitise’ my language. I have to correct my grammar mistakes, increase my vocabulary, try not to mix up different languages in a sentence like I do in Malaysia, sometimes even slightly alter my accent to make the first world citizens understand what I am saying. Of course, through all the hard work, I have sanitised my accent, moreover using the western ‘sanitiser’. However, writing perfect English is still impending. My father’s experience has taught me that whenever there is a will to express, there is a way to express. I definitely have the will to express, otherwise this article would not be posted, but the way of expressing it might be deformed from your perspective. It is alright when you see it as a deformed, as long as this article gives you a vague understanding of Manglish, not Singlish, I will say to you “Okay lah!”.