Interlok: MIC clings to hope

The party appears to have no plan of action against the possibility of the Education Ministry reneging on its promise.

PETALING JAYA: MIC appears to be undecided about the action it will take if the Education Ministry reneges on its promise to ensure that schools use a sanitised edition of Interlok instead of the allegedly racist original of the Abdullah Hussain novel.

“We hope the Education Ministry will stick to its word,” said party information chief VS Mogan when asked for his comments in the wake of news reports that some schools were using the original, but with offensive words masked by stickers.

Mogan repeated his statement when asked if the party had a plan of action in the event that the student edition fails to materialise.

“We have firmly informed the ministry that they would have to make the amendments,” he added.

The novel, which Form Five students use for their literature course, has been mired in controversy for close to a year now, with several groups complaining about its racist slant and inaccurate references to Indian culture and Hinduism.

The controversy led to the formation of a committee to review the novel. It recommended 106 amendments.

However, the government decision to adopt the amendments for a student edition has not satisfied every quarter.

A coalition of NGOs called the National Interlok Action Team (NIAT) has been steadfast in calling for an outright withdrawal of Interlok from the school reading list.

MIC initially wanted the book withdrawn but reversed its decision when the Education Ministry agreed to the review.