Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) director Lim Teck Ghee has added his voice to calls for the novel Interlok to be removed from the Form Five Malay literature syllabus due to its perpetuation of “offensive stereotyping” of minorities.
This, while the controversial novel celebrates the virtues of the Malay race, culture and value system.
As such, Lim noted, it has led some quarters to see the novel as “the classic Malaysian racist book”.
In remarks e-mailed to Malaysiakini today, the former academician-turned-social activist said some may be tempted to invoke freedom of expression to justify maintaining the book as required reading in secondary schools.
That same “freedom to offend” would not, however, be granted if the offence were against Malays, he noted.
(This is typical freedom of BN, the bancrupt mindset)
There is concern, furthermore, with the prospect of predominantly Malay literature teachers teaching students the novel and its racially-slanted messages.
(You can imaging how some of these idiot-minded teachers--guru zalim(guzal) will manipulate this novel.......)
While anger has been expressed mainly by Indian groups and politicians against the negative portrayal of the community in the novel – including the use of the term ‘pariah’ – ire has also been raised on the perpetuation of stereotypes relating to ethnic Chinese.
Stressing against the call for the book to be banned “in the same way in which the government has banned so many other books”, Lim said Interlok should not be in the prescribed literature curriculum and “certainly not let loose on young and impressionistic minds”.
It should be not made an exam text, furthermore, whereby students are liable to be coerced into giving the “officially correct” reading of the novel in their answer papers, and whose correctness is determined by the authorities marking the exam papers.
(idiot exam based on idiot karya/novel, so we can see what will happen.....this kind of brain washing is worst than NAZI, even worst than soviet Communist...a kind of terribly mind control by a bunch of narrow-minded and bolehland suckers????)
“This will poison young minds and bring unintended harmful consequences to race relations in the country,” he said.
Lim also questioned why the novel was now being made compulsory and enjoying “political patronage” when it had failed to impress the literati when it was first published in 1971 – four years after the manuscript had languished in obscurity, claimed Lim.
“It is not unreasonable to deduce that the book’s publication in 1971 was agenda-driven. The political scenario at that time, that is, the 1969 race riots and the introduction of the NEP in the following year, was rapidly evolving and veering to outright Malay nationalism.
“The decision – made only last year – to include Interlok in the reading list, is equally suspect as the 40-year-old book had in the past not got any rave reviews from either the reading public or the writing fraternity,” he added.
Expressing surprise that members of the government panel tasked with reviewing the book for its “offensive bits” had agreed to working under such a limited scope, Lim said the transparency of the exercise was suspect, given that the government had reportedly succumbed to Malay pressure groups in other issues.
“It was not paragraphs or sections of the book that were in question, although there were innumerable instances of racial stereotyping, historical errors and misrepresentation of Chinese and Indian culture and society.
(The historical fact is not real, not typical and bias.....very bias and misleading....I wish to say it is an idiot that not understand the Chinese and Indian and other races' reality that wrote the story...really misleading and bias!!!)
“Instead, it is the sum total of the book that needs to be rejected,” he added.
Although the rejection of the book on grounds of its unsuitability as a school textbook is not part of the terms of reference, he hoped the review panel would have the courage to arrive at this decision in view of the overwhelming evidence presented on the racially offensive overall thrust of the book.
Whatever the outcome of the review process, Lim challenged cabinet members to read the book – or the translation of the book – and “decide for themselves whether they would permit their own children to be exposed to it.”
More against ‘Interlok’
The Chinese Assembly Hall Youth also lent their weight against the novel.
Besides reinforcing the stereotype of Chinese and Indians as outsiders and immigrants, and the Chinese as deceitful and greedy, the novel also unconsciously promotes the idea of Malay supremacy, said chairperson of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, Ng Chong Soon (left).
Although this might destroy relations between the ethnic communities in the country, this “is exactly what a race-based political party like Umno would need to serve its political agenda”, said Ng in a statement.
While freedom of expression should be respected,he added that narrow political interests should be kept out of education.
Echoing Lim’s comments, he also said the novel is rich in racial discrimination and factual errors.
“For example, the Chinese Anti-Japanese Army was depicted as wanting to build a small China in Malaya. And Indians were described as thinking that the Indian government takes better care of the Indians compared to Malaya’s government.”
The Ministry of Education should not have amended the school syllabus and selected ‘Interlok’ as a compulsory textbook unless it is treated as an example of racial discrimination, Ng stressed.
Meanwhile, The Human Rights Party’s (HRP) will hold an ‘anti-Interlok’ forum at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall tonight, while the ‘People’s march in solidarity against Umno’s racism’ is set for Sunday.
‘Interlok’, written by national laureate Abdullah Hussein, became controversial when it was selected as a Malay literature textbook for Form Five.
Several parties then opposed it on grounds it contains words and incidents deemed demeaning to Indian Malaysians.
Education Minister MuhyiddinYassin had announced on Jan 27 that the novel would remain as a textbook for Form Five, but with amendments to parts deemed offensive by the Indian community.
************
Xavier Gomez
Interlok: Chinese sell their daughters «
hartalmsm.wordpress.com
It is filled with every conceivable racial stereotype of Indians and Chinese that you can think of, applied hodge-podge but in over-abundance to the main characters.
o
Stew Law And he supposed to be an award winning author. Defintely not a professional but an amateur with all kinds of conflicts of interests using stereotypes. If he can't avoid using stereotypes, he is a bad author, not worthy of any award, or were they bought?!
o
Xavier Gomez thats correct stewart. the hallmark of a writer is to make familiar things new, and new things familiar. however, in interlok, we have a author driven by selective ethnocentric hallucination. what he conveniently sidesteps is a particular community who has the highest record of incest and baby-dumping. and it has its roots much earlier than regime fed writers would ever dare to examine.
o
Victor Lee
why the writer not included the famous amok of bumi, the anak luar nikah, the buang bayi cases....all not new things...the mentality of the writer is "ill", really "sucking head", you know.
We studied malay and indonesia's teori sastera...we know that the writer is "sick"....the kind of idiot and proud of himself style....but I tell you it is the inferiority of a writer that tried to coning and discriminating others!
i call this writer a sick and mental problem writer, penulis sasau, penulis yang berminda jijik!
o
Victor Lee That's why, indonesians are calling them maling, penulis maling, malingsia----a kind of cheat, conning, twisting facts, brain washing and mind control!
o
Victor Lee
as a Malay studies Dept graduate(from jabatan Pengajian Melayu Foon Yew/Southern Colleage), I am qualify enough to make comment: The writer is "mentally ill"...
I called him Penzal(penulis zalim) just as polis zalim(polzal), sultan zalim(sul...zal), guru zalim(guzal)....
The kind of mentality must change....it is sucking our next generation's mentality, killing their muhibah, goodwill mind and destroy the friendship of all races. It is really zalim/ cruel..and the writer is "not sincere", as cases depicted not typical and have ill intention!!!!!
Penzal, penmaling.....See more
o
Quentin Fairchild Isn't that a muslim goal-infidels selling their children? they conquer a place then put on impossible taxes (only 50% per year), but except children in lieu of payment.
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爭議讀本，中學生不宜
許雅玲
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《連環扣》風波中，先由印裔副部長提起該書含污辱印裔字眼，引起印裔社會抗議，後馬來團體反對印裔團體的取消列中五讀本要求，一度僵持不下。它僅僅是印裔同胞的事情嗎？首場《連環扣》中文讀書會導讀人提出：這本書不適合當作中學生教科書。
印裔希望華社也能發聲以示關心，林連玉基金學術委員會和隆雪華堂民權委員會，於是舉辦了首場《連環扣(Interlok)》中文讀書會，理解這本書，由該學術委會副主任莊華興博士導讀，希望拋磚引玉。
也是博特拉大學外文系資深講師的莊華興說，《連環扣》牽涉到整個國家建國基礎的問題。作為中五學生文學讀本，人們對引發的爭議關注在族群衝突及團結，卻忽略了最關鍵的文學教育與審美教育，尤其讀者對像從公眾轉變成學生。
「文學作品須脫離意識形態牽制，不受作者偏見主導，尤其涉及歷史題材須忠於事實。」馬來評論界稱《連環扣》是歷史小說，但它敘述了抗日軍右翼建立華人國家，這說法沒反映史實。
「小說也描寫了國族建構議程（第61頁），描寫高佬這人物的奸詐與小說主人公塞曼的感受（第62至63頁），也大肆渲染高佬的狡猾與奸詐（第64）；販賣悲情，以挑起族群矛盾（前後文本連貫）。為何作者要這樣渲染？這是為促進國民團結嗎？」莊華興反問。
「小說第4章，以幽微婉曲方式傳達『這是馬來人土地』觀念。這本書適合作為中五讀本嗎？問題焦點在於它為何在這個時刻被納入教育課程，尤其在歷史教科書事件上，非馬來人的貢獻刻意被排除在建國史之外這非常時期。」
「獨立時代讀這個文本當然沒問題，但大部分華人落籍斯土都已第5代，偏偏在這時搬出這種論述，要學子閱讀，讓書中那種觀念內化為個人或族群經驗，可想像對他們心理建設會有何影響。」
莊華興以1971年出版的公眾版本來說明。「這跟華社/馬來社會息息相關。它對華裔的意識形態整編跟對印裔沒兩樣；不同的是，作者所用某些字眼（Paria）在印裔社會發酵，引起反彈，對華社的敘述則沒有。」
他說：「文學教育更重要是須考慮由什麼時空的人來閱讀，可能造成的影響。從今天的時空來看，這本書不適合當作中學生教科書。為何享有國家文學地位的作品會出現美學/寫作技巧上的平庸與不足，及思想水平上的膚淺與缺陷？」
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Page 160, scanned excerpt from ‘Interlok’.
If you thought ‘pariah’ was the worst insult there is in the novel ‘Interlok’, you’re mistaken.
It is filled with every conceivable racial stereotype of Indians and Chinese that you can think of, applied hodge-podge but in over-abundance to the main characters.
Below are scans from the book. We’re using the original, ISBN 983-62-5578-8. There is a new abridged version tagged ‘Edisi Murid’, edited for students however.
Pages 119-120: Kim Lock, the father of the Chinese main character Cing Huat, is depicted by the novelist Abdullah Hussain as someone quite prepared to sell a daughter.
Page 151: Kim Lock is tempted by the bad guy Paman Kok Leng to sell Cing Huat. Because Cing Huat is a boy, the father has qualms. However, he would consider the proposition if the child was a girl.
Pages 232-233:
‘Gua menyesal gua dapat dua [anak] lelaki saja. Kalau ada orang mau tukar anak lelakinya dengan Poh Eng dan Poh Kheng gua mau sekarang ini.’
Cing Huat, now a father himself, is portrayed by Abdullah as someone who is in turn prepared to trade his daughters (for boys) without second thought.
This novel is full of negative racial stereotypes and BTN-like slurs. Remember Nasir Safar (the prime minister’s aide) who resigned after the comment (below) attributed to him:
‘Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese especially the women came to sell their bodies’
‘Interlok’ is filled with the same characterizations of Chinese — prostitutes, womanisers, gamblers, cheats, scumbags, opium addicts, and more. Although the Chinese have no ‘pariah’ in their language, Abdullah Hussain portrays the ones who came here as debased creatures and from the dregs of society.
So you must be wondering why it is only the Indian NGOs and political parties that have raised complaints and nothing is heard from the Chinese even when they have been similarly subjected to the implied ‘pariah’ slurs?
UPDATED, Hartal Interlok series
* Interlok: Everybody should just read the damn book!
* Interlok: Chinese immigrants came here to carry shit buckets
* Interlok: Sepet, greedy Cina gemuk & liberal dummkopfs
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RELATED: Ridhuan Tee slams ‘Interlok’ protesters as extremists
temenggong says:
February 22, 2011 at 6:13 pm
It is simply NOT true that Chinese sold their daughters for monetary gain. It is a vicious lie. Yes, many Chinese gave away their daughters, and sometimes sons too, because they did not have the means to support them. Life was difficult those days and putting food was a serious issue confronted daily. Besides family planning was unheard of and most had large families of ten, twelve children and more. And yes, some payment was in order so as to feed the rest of the family. But this was not a monetary transaction as maliciously made out to be in the book.
The other main reason that babies were given away is because one or both parents died, and there was no way to care for the children. I personally know such cases of both Chinese and Indian children who were adopted by the immediate neighbour, being of Indian and Chinese respectively, simply because there was no one to care for the children. The neighbour just took over the children and brought him up as his own. One can meet such ‘Indians’ with Chinese surnames, and ‘Chinese’ with Indian names who told me their stories. Babies were also given away to Malay friends and neighbours especially during the war when malnutrition and retreat was the order of the day.
In other cases babies were given for adoption simply because some couples did not have a child.
Thus we see that giving away of babies and adopting babies were due to reasons of specific needs of the times and altruism, and not monetary gain. This is to be celebrated as a height of humanitarianism and interracial cohesiveness during peculiar difficult times!
Now in good times when we are all affluent do we see Chinese or anyone giving away babies? The answer lies right there!
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Menoleh kembali dari pra-kemerdekaan dan selepas kemerdekaan, banyak perkara zalim telah berlaku dan penulisan yang bermotif kurang ikhlas dan jijik ini jelas terpapar pada intisari dan kandungannya!
Fakta sejarah yang memesong dan langsung tak bisa diterima jelas memaparkan kejahilan penulis yang dikatakan sebagai sasterawan nusa ini. Kesempitan minda dan kejahilan pengetahuan pada sejarah, komuniti Tionghua dan India, justeru menerangkan buku yang sedemikian rupa adalah tidak sesuai malah harus dicampak ke dalam tong sampah kerana kurang realistik, kurang kejituan dan pemesongan serta pemputar-belitan fakta!
Buku Interlok jelas memaparkan kejahilan seorang penulis pada pengetahuan sebenar, fakta komuniti, serta betapa jahilnya seorang penulis yang tidak membuat kajian pada penulisannya.
Contoh-contoh yang diberi dalam buku bukanlah tipikal, malah amat mengejutkan kerana fakta seperti penjualan anak sebenarnya jarang berlaku. walaupun ada sebilangan yang sangat kecil komuniti Tionghua terpaksa "memberikan"(Pls note ini ialah pemberian bukan penjualan, amatlah pantang dan menjadi jahanam bagi masyarakat Tionghua yang "menjualkan anaknya", ini satu dosa amat besar!, penulis langsung tak faham fahaman dan pantang ini, yang jelas memaparkan kejahilan penulis pada bangsa dan kominitilain.Kerana kejahilan dan pemesongan fakta, kekurangan pemahaman pada realiti masyarakat Tionghua, India dan bangsa lain, maka penulisan yang sedemikian rupa hanya boleh menjadi bahan untuk bacaan "limited"(terhad ) di muzium orang kurang siuman, hospital permai dan mana bisa menjadi bahan bacaan murid atau pelajar??? janganlah menjahilkan pelajar kerana kejahilan menteri dan penulis sasau yang amat jahil dan menjahilkan diri!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Banyak contoh-contoh yang bisa menjelaskan kejahilan, kesilapan dalam buku yang amat memesong dan mebisakan bernak generasi akan datang!
不过，最悲哀的是看到这些人宁可.....失去良知说X 话，实在是最大的悲哀！
魏家祥:力挺《连环扣》作者是无意伤害 促人民客观判断
时间：2011-01-05 19:08:36 来源：本报报道 作者：编辑
（布城5日讯）教育部副部长拿督魏家祥（左图）表示，引起争议的中五生文学读物《连环扣》，确有出现让印裔「感受伤」的字眼，但他力挺该作者是无意伤害。
他说，该部尚等待国大党呈交有关抗议《连环扣》的备忘录，并促请人民以理性和客观的态度阅读该书。
他说，18年前这本文学书籍已在市面公开出售，这是教育部首次挑选此书作为中五的文学读物，因此引起印裔社会的不满。
魏家祥今日见证MASBE公司移交英文版本「《Ulam（野菜）》」新书予中学校长后，在记者会上如是指出。
他透露，本身也在阅读《连环扣》，以了解书本的内容，作客观判断。
他希望人们在认真阅读这本书后，才发表看法，而非人云亦云。
「我个人认为，这个作者无意伤害他族，但无可否认在此书确有一些字眼会让印裔感到受伤，其实书内并没这个意思。」
魏家祥提到，这名作者的人生经验丰富，因此他是以叙述故事的方式写作，这本书的价格是16令吉30仙，人们可自购阅读。
无论如何，他表示，每个人对这本书都有各自看法，而该部并非意图推翻某个种族而选择使用此书为中五读物。
他重申，教育部正等待国大党呈交备忘录，以了解他们所提出的建议。
国大党署理主席兼人力资源部长拿督苏巴马廉早前表示，会向教育部长丹斯里慕尤丁反映，要求取消此书作为中学指定文学读物，或要求删改当中的内容。
《连环扣》是由马来文学作家阿都拉胡欣所着，原定为中学五年级学生的指定马来文学读物。书中指印裔生活在「种姓制度」，引发印裔社会不满。
另外，魏家祥表示，《野菜》这本书将派送给全国2800间中学，这本书的内容相当有意思，相信能让学生从中获得课本以外的知识。
他指出，书中也教导人们如何吃得健康，吃野菜不只是马来人的方式，也是华人和印度人的饮食方式。
「这本书也可培养学生的读书风气，内容是以英文书写，因此学生也可以加强英文的运用和了解。」
《野菜》是由MASBE公司履行社会企业责任，免费赠送给2800间中学。
问题一直在“闪”，拖了又拖。。。。
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
博士，教育部无法解决教育问题???
教育风波一波未平一波又起，到底我国副教育部长魏家祥面对众学生家长的疑问时，真正的 答案是什么？
因为太多不负责任的答复，恕我无法称呼他为教育部副部长。
目前魏博士给予人们的信用已经毁在他说一套做一套的行为上，之前的师资调派问题闹得沸沸扬扬，魏博士做出的回应是，“这不关我的事，教育部已把新师资调派名单都已准备好。”还说，“教育部正催促大马国家学术鉴定机构发出正式信件，以便教 育部把信件带到公共服务局，待学位委员会核准后由教育服务委员会直接接受该批学员成为公务员。”
师资分配的工作不是教育部在做的吗？结果我国的副教育部长说不关他的事？
这样的说法除了表示他不是教育部长之外也令人觉得教育部不负责任，更令所有学生的家长担心和失望。
除此之外，目前在执教的老师更是无辜，
在新学年的开学时，教育部实施了“今天通知，明天报到，后天上任”的“临时抱佛脚”政策，临教突然失业，学校老师不够，影响教育素质也牺牲无辜的莘莘学子。
这些问题已经不是头一遭了，古说：“经一事，长一智”，他们的智都长去哪里了？没有人处理？还是教育部根本不重视华小教育问题？任由自生自灭，一切都以《拖字诀》了事。
师资问题未解决，教科书又出现一大堆令人震惊的问题，教育部不只无法妥善安排导师，更没能力 鉴别教科书内容。是教科书的编写任务所托非人？还是整个编写的过程时限又是拜在“临时抱佛脚”的政策下？
所有学校问题，魏博士都以“四两拨千斤”的方式解决了，一下子说不强迫，结果班照缩，一下子说不关他的事，要不就去问教育局总监，不然就是校长不配合。真无愧于“博士”的荣誉！
至于部长一职就交由那些不配合的校长，不需交代的教育局总监去当吧！身份与能力相差太远，只会让马来西亚又增加多一则国际笑话吧了。
（民主行动党文打烟区州议员魏宗贤）
http://gweetonghiang.blogspot.com/
