Penang keeps ‘Interlok’ concealed in public libraries

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The controversial “Interlok” will no longer be allowed to be displayed openly in public libraries in Penang, Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said today.

Ramasamy explained the move did not constitute a ban on the novel, as the libraries may still keep copies on hand but not display them on publicly viewable shelves.

The DCM was responding to a question by Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer during today’s session of the state assembly sitting, and explained the move to be a protest of the federal government’s insistence on using the book in schools.

The “Interlok” novel is a compulsory text for the literature component of the Bahasa Malaysia subject in the secondary school syllabus, and first encountered controversy when the Indian community accused it of containing words and phrases deemed offensive.

Following the uproar, an independent panel was formed to suggest revisions to make the novel more acceptable although critics of Datuk Abdullah Hussain’s book want it to be dropped completely instead of amended.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, however, stood firm on the decision to retain “Interlok”, choosing only to amend parts deemed sensitive by the country’s Tamil community.

Following the uproar by the Indians, the Chinese have now accused the novel of depicting the community unfavourably and are asking for it to be omitted from schools.