Form 5 text backs Mat Sabu, says PAS

Ramlah Adam is one of the authors of a book that apparently says Umno never demanded independence from British rule

SEREMBAN: PAS today quoted from a textbook currently used in Form Five to back its argument that Umno never fought for Malaysia’s independence from British rule.

According to the book, Umno merely rejected the notion of a Malayan Union that the British proposed, said Negeri Sembilan PAS Commissioner Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani.

The book was published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and its latest edition was printed last year.

One of its authors is Ramlah Adam, who has attacked PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu for rejecting Umno’s claim that it struggled for independence and hailing the leftist Mat Indera as one of the true heroes of resistance against British rule.

The other three writers of the book are Shakila Parween Yacob, Abdul Hakim Samuri and Muslimin Fadzil.

“Page 103 of the book clearly states that in the formation of Tanah Melayu in 1948, Umno did not demand for independence,” Mohd Taufek said.

“Page 104 says that Umno merely rejected Malayan Union and did not demand independence from the British.

“These are very important facts of history and our claims are based on factual information.”

Mohd Taufek urged Umno leaders to get their facts right so that they would not confuse themselves.

Ramlah, in one of her attacks on Mohamad Sabu, was recently quoted by a Malay daily as saying that the PAS leader should read “authentic history” instead of depending on oral history. She said the former was based on facts and the latter on memory.