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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

DAP aims to raise ‘Interlok’ row in Parliament

Santiago said “Interlok” was not serving its purpose of helping to unify students. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — DAP will table an emergency motion in Parliament next week to discuss the controversial “Interlok” novel and pressure the government to withdraw the book from the secondary school syllabus.

Klang MP Charles Santiago told a press conference in Parliament today that the party was also seeking to meet with Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the matter.

“We want to appeal to him one more time to withdraw the book from the school system.

“The book was introduced to create harmony and national unity, but now, it is definitely producing division between students and teachers, and also a hostile environment between Malay teachers and Indian students,” he said.

He added that DAP leaders held a meeting yesterday and had agreed to file an emergency motion to Parliament on Monday to pressure the government into withdrawing the book.

“We want the issue to be discussed and debated among parliamentarians,” he said.

Charles also announced that DAP was organising a nationwide roadshow, to kick off from Sungai Petani in two weeks’ time, to explain to Malaysians why the book was an obstruction to the process of forging national unity.

In January, Muhyiddin announced that the controversial novel would remain as a textbook in the literature component of the Bahasa Malaysia subject for Form Five students but with amendments to several aspects deemed sensitive by the Indian community.

He also announced the formation of an independent panel comprising academicians, literary figures and representatives from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, tasked to study the amendments.

Today, Charles pointed to a recent incident in Kuala Kubu Baru where a teacher allegedly used derogatory words on seven Indian students when they sought to return copies of ‘Interlok’ to the headmaster.

The teacher was reported to have said, “Kenapa orang India garang? India memang suka rosakkan nama sekolah. Keling memang dasar pariah sejak sejarah lagi” (Why are the Indians so fierce? Indians really like to tarnish the school’s name. The keling have been pariahs since historical times).

A news portal reported yesterday that three of the students were hauled up by the police for a 10-hour interrogation session.

“This is not the first time this has happened. Similar incidents took place in January this year... in Taman Tasik Ampang, when the headmistress used the same ‘pariah’ word to her students at the assembly.

“She was asked where she got the word from... she [said she] got it from ‘Interlok,’” he said.

He added that “Interlok” had turned schools into “hostile environments” instead of places for education.

“The learning process has become divisive and no unifying. It is also making the teaching and learning process very difficult because Malay teachers will have to address the Indian students and the Indian teachers will have to address the Malay students on this.

“The book will hamper the learning process,” he said.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he was shocked that the students were taken to the police station without their parents’ knowledge.

“Why are schools hauling up students to police stations without informing their parents? This is to instil a culture of fear,” he said. - Malaysian Insider

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