Penang Library to take 'Interlok' off textbook rack

Debate on the controversial Malay literature textbook for Form Five students, Interlok, continued to reveberate for the third consecutive day within the Penang legislative assembly today.And today too, the state government showed its disdain for the book by prohibiting it from being displayed in the textbook section of the state library.Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said the decision was taken at the state executive council meeting yesterday, and the instruction would be conveyed to the library soon.

Ramasamy (above) said the state was not banning the book but due to its controversial nature, it would not be allowed on the rack for textbooks, which are located in a prominent area of the library.He said the book insults all ethnic communities yet stereotypes found in the book were being defended by Umno, particularly by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Umno's deputy chief."The book is disheartening as our children, who may not understand the country's history, would obtain knowledge that is damaging, especially that concerning the different races," he added.

"With all this, I feel strange that the BN is still defending this book... is it afraid of (Malay rights pressure group) Perkasa?" he asked.A former university professor, Ramasamy accused the author of the book of lacking in knowledge about the history of the different ethnic groups in Malaysia.It was shocking that the book was selected as a literature text for SPM students, otherwise it should not pose a problem, he said.
"We are not scared of racist parties in Malaysia, so why is Umno so scared of Perkasa?" he asked, referring to the Human Rights Party as a racist group.


A 'disgusting' book

RSN Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) said he had studied literature in school, having obtained an 'A' for the subject in his SPM examination, but he had never read such a 'disgusting' book as Interlok.Rayer then read out several pages from the book to make his point, adding that the author did not include positive comments (about the different races) in his writing."The book clearly shows that the Chinese and Malays are enemies... should we allow this? It is similar to the book about Kunta Kinte..." he said.

Kunta Kinte is the central character in the novel about slavery, Roots: The Saga of an American Family by US author Alex Haley.Jahara Hamid (BN-Teluk Ayer Tawar) said the book about Kunta Kinte also portrayed all sorts of stereotypes but the African community had not expressed anger over it."These are historical facts so that we can learn about what actually happened in the past. The Indians have prospered in Malaysia... this is a positive aspect. We can learn from Interlok," she said.

"The Indians have shown that they have released themselves from the chains that imprisoned them. I believe this is what the book wants to highlight as a lesson, for us to compare the situation now with what happened then," Jahara added.


Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/163318