Is the Interlok debate a deliberate provocation?

'At the rate BN/Umno is pursuing their racist agenda, I will not be surprised they are hoping for another May 13 incident.'

Interlok row more than just about 'pariah'

Pemerhati: From the way Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is behaving, it appears he wants the three Indian panel members to agree to only some minor changes to 'Interlok' so that the main Umno agenda of projecting the Malays as a superior race is not jeopardised.

The walkout by the three must have come as a surprise to Muhyiddin and his cohorts because they probably thought that, since the three were dependent to some extent on the Umno-run government for their employment and livelihood, they could easily be made to do what Umno wanted them to do.

They know from past experience that even a person like Chandra Muzaffar, who used to roar like a lion in Aliran against Umno, can be 'turned over' by attacking his rice bowl (terminating his appointment as a UM lecturer) and then made to yelp about Najib's 1Malaysia.

Unless the three are able to earn a living without relying on any government-controlled agency, they could be susceptible to similar pressure and 'turned over' to do Umno's bidding.

Gandhi: By all accounts, this notorious book must be replaced with another which has real literary material. With all the hatred for this book, the students wouldn't want to touch it. The more the DPM is adamant of using this novel, the stronger the opposition to this malevolent novel.

Enough time has been wasted on this irritating issue. Pakatan will be the final beneficiary from this imbroglio.

Lim Chong Leong: I believe it is about mental oppression to break the Indian community's spirit and pride by indoctrination from young through school. Falsehood and half-truths will act as cracks that will eventually break up the strong and deep Indian culture that was handed down through generations.

All it takes is one generation who cannot agree with its previous one of what some information and practices are and the foundation of that community is shaken. So, don't take it as just some misleading novel. The fact that they are insistent on its use suggests some agenda more sinister, like what I have mentioned.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Very well put Mr Lim, the main reason is to create a generation that will not know its roots and hence they will be easily controllable by the Malay masters. There will never be a uprising like what the Malays had seen in 2007 by the Indians, which shook the dumb electorate to teach the Umno government a lesson it will never forget.

So what better way will there be then to start the indoctrinate on young Indian kids with the wrong information which will make them feel inferior and insecure and worship the Malays as the superior race in Malaysia?

Keturunan Malaysia: Thank you very much for this enlightening piece, Jimadie Shah Othman. If our DPM cum education minister cannot understand the clearly stated five recommendations, among others, that are causing the hurt and pain, then he can only be excused if he admits that he is not that well-educated.

Mr PM, that's the reason why we want Malaysian-first leaders.

Anonymous_3f55: It's because books like 'Interlok' that distorts history which is the main reason why I will never send my children to the national school system, especially secondary school. Why the insistence of 'Interlok'? What's so special about it? Aren't there other non-racist novels out there?

Aggressive Umno racism: The new emerging reality

KayKay: Umno and its poodle, Perkasa, twists and turns every issue in Malaysia into a racial issue. The idea is to scare the Malays into circling the wagons against the non-Malays and gathering under one political platform, that is Umno, as part of the colonial-style divide-and-rule politics.

With all Malays united under one platform, the ruling elite will be better able to plunder the treasury in the name of bumiputeraism and the like. Meanwhile, the great majority of the Malays will have nothing more than the proverbial shirts on their backs.

The Malays need to wake up and not subscribe to a tribal and feudal brand of politics. True freedom is the freedom of the mind.

Imma Bee: The time is near. If you analyse it, the constitution gave special privileges that were due for review after 15 years, i.e 1972. And May 13, 1969 happened. Along came NEP, which was due to end in 1990.

The Chinese schools issue and Ops Lalang happened in 1987. And along came Wawasan 2020. It's due date is just nine years or so away. So, beware! There will be a build-up to conflict so the date of the real 1Malaysia when all are supposed to be equal will be pushed back.

An Old Malaysian: At the rate BN/Umno is pursuing their racist agenda, I will not be surprised they are hoping for another May 13 incident so that they can once and for all get rid of all the opposition leaders through the ISA or worse, by using extreme force on them, like in Libya.

I dread to think of what the future holds for Malaysia if this becomes a reality. Dr Mahathir Mohamad must be very happy now seeing his racist dreams of a Malay Malaysia coming to fruition. May Allah save our beautiful country.

Phoenix Star 88: Despite all of this, it seems that Indian voters, particularly those in rural and semi-rural constituencies, are bent on voting for BN in large numbers as proven in last few by-elections. These voters ditched BN and supported Pakatan Rakyat in the last GE but now they are back to square one.

The strong emotions of the 2007 Hindraf protests have now waned and Hindraf/HRP's subsequent condemnation of Pakatan has only made it easier for MIC and BN to recapture lost ground in the Indian community.

Malaysia_Wikileaks: Phoenix Star 88, please stop that same old rant that the poor Indians voted for Umno in the by-elections. In Hulu Selangor that may be true, but not in Kerdau and Merlimau.

The Indians there are very poor, living in estates and in the fringes of urban areas, who are illiterate or have poor literacy and earn a daily wage of RM20-RM30 per day. They don't read, they don't know the issues, they have no time or money to read.

It is because people never reach out to them that has caused them to be in the dark, and easily cheated by Umno. - Malaysiakini