Two readers tried to support their case with anecdotes.
Chew Kok Liang in "Is IPPT Serving Its Purpose" The Straits Times, 8 July 2014:
"A Malaysian Ranger officer once told me of his participation in a joint US Marines and Malaysian Rangers jungle exercise. When he and his men first met the US Marines, they were very impressed by the Marines' physique and fitness. They all looked like bodybuilders and jogged everywhere, even to the latrines. And they carried packs that were twice as heavy as those carried by the Malaysian Rangers.
"However, it soon became apparent that fit and strong as the US Marines were compared with the smaller and wiry Rangers, they could not cope with the hilly and uneven jungle terrain, and soon lagged far behind the Rangers.
"The Marines managed to complete the exercise only after being advised to lighten their load. They dumped their body armour, night goggles and other equipment, keeping only ammunition and food. They had forgotten the lessons from the Vietnam war: Travel as lightly as possible during jungle operations."
Heng Cho Choon in "Dialect Help Strengthen Learning of Mandarin" TODAY, 8 July 2014:
"I have spoken to young Malaysian students who are very fluent in Chinese, Malay and English. They learnt Malay because it was compulsory and they are proficient in Chinese because they attended a Chinese school. They can also communicate in English with non-Malaysians. When I was browsing in a bookstore, I was surprised to learn that Malaysian students who are Indian or Malay could speak Mandarin."
Since neither anecdote can be verified, they add no value to the writers' case.
In addition, Mr Heng's observation may have been taken from a small sample that is not representative of the larger population.
In addition, Mr Heng's observation may have been taken from a small sample that is not representative of the larger population.
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