李星可的社评及其时代意义 Ly Sing Ko's Press Editorials and Their Significance

Abstract

李星可是新马华文报业史上一个风云人物。 他在60年代以写社论著名。 身为外籍华人， 李星可尝试把故土的养分——文化带到侨居地。 于是， 他开始了用笔杆儿争取文化认同的报人生涯。 新马在英殖民后曾分区自治， 1963年合并， 并且在1965年正式分家独立。 长期受到 “英文至上“ 环境影响的新马， 在1953年毅然冒起南洋大学（南大）这朵奇葩。 南大是海外的第一所华文大学， 因着教学媒介语的问题， 长期受到外界的质疑。 李星可出于爱护母语教育之心， 不遗余力地为南大仗义执言。 本文针对李星可在60年代对于南洋大学事件所写的社评进行概括性的论述， 以突出他对母语教育的坚持， 并且见证他在新马华文教育史上建构的篇章。

Ly Sing Ko was a leading journalist and editor of the Chinese press of Singapore and Malaya in the 1960s. As a Chinese expatriate, he tried to infuse elements of Chinese culture into his place of residence. He devoted his career in journalism to fight for cultural identity. Singapore and Malaya were administered independently during British colonial period. They merged to form Malaysia in 1963, but Singapore separated from the federation in 1965. Despite the environment in which English was given pre-eminence, Nanyang University (Nantah) was nevertheless established in Singapore in 1953. As the first overseas Chinese university in which the medium of instruction is Chinese, its establishment was subjected to heated debates. Arising from his love of mother-tongue education, Ly Sing Ko had tirelessly defended Nantah in its use of Chinese as the medium of instruction. This paper discusses several of the press editorials drafted by Ly Sing Ko in the 1960s to highlight his devotion to Chinese education.