The Sun
PETALING JAYA (Jan 13, 2011): The offensive word "pariah" in the novel Interlok, which is being used as Malay literature text for Form Five, should be removed to improve race relations, said Yayasan 1Malaysia chairman Chandra Muzaffar.
"In the larger interest of improving ethnic relations in our country, which is at one of its lowest ebbs since Merdeka, the offensive word should be dropped from the particular sentence in the novel. It will not change its meaning in any way or alter the intent of the author," said Chandra.
"I am sure the author, National Laureate Datuk Abdullah Hussein, would be able to appreciate the significance of this slight modification at a time like this," he added.
Chandra, in a press statement today, said the word "pariah" in Interlok should be looked at in its larger context of the themes of the novel.
"In the larger interest of improving ethnic relations in our country, which is at one of its lowest ebbs since Merdeka, the offensive word should be dropped from the particular sentence in the novel. It will not change its meaning in any way or alter the intent of the author," said Chandra.
"I am sure the author, National Laureate Datuk Abdullah Hussein, would be able to appreciate the significance of this slight modification at a time like this," he added.
Chandra, in a press statement today, said the word "pariah" in Interlok should be looked at in its larger context of the themes of the novel.
"It is employed as a descriptive term to explain why the largely Tamil speaking passengers in the Malaya-bound ship were able to relate to one another, without prohibitions or inhibitions since they were all ‘pariah’ within the caste structure. Whether this was factually true or not is another matter," he said.
Chandra also pointed out that the word had a pejorative connotation.
"Whatever the context of its usage, it would be perceived as negative. Because ‘pariah’ is inherently pejorative, Mahatma Gandhi replaced it with ‘harijan’ (children of God) in the midst of the Indian struggle for Independence from British rule."
He called on parties involved in the proposed dialogue between the Education Ministry and representatives of the Indian community on Interlok to resolve the controversy in the best interest of the parties concerned.
Chandra also pointed out that the word had a pejorative connotation.
"Whatever the context of its usage, it would be perceived as negative. Because ‘pariah’ is inherently pejorative, Mahatma Gandhi replaced it with ‘harijan’ (children of God) in the midst of the Indian struggle for Independence from British rule."
He called on parties involved in the proposed dialogue between the Education Ministry and representatives of the Indian community on Interlok to resolve the controversy in the best interest of the parties concerned.
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