Three Indian members are accused of being 'traitors' to the community.
PETALING JAYA: Three Indians in the eight-member independent panel appointed by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to amend portions of Interlok have been called traitors to the Indian community.
In a widely circulated short messaging service (SMS), one of which was sent to FMT, the three were accused of humiliating Indians.
The trio are Professor NS Rajendran (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris), G Krishnabagawan (former information ministry official) and Uthaya Sankar (Sinar Harian deputy editor).
The head of the independent panel tasked with amending some controversial contents of Interlok, Shamsul Amri Baharudin, however, refused to be drawn into responding to the anonymous SMS.
Translated from Malay language, the SMS reads: “3 new Indian traitors – Professor NS Rajendran, G Krishnabagawan and Uthaya Sankar SB. All 3 agreed to a minimum amendment which is still humiliating Indian community.
“We all want it (Interlok) to be dropped from being used in the SPM examination, not amendments. (Urging Indians) Stay together.”
“The authors of the SMS seemed to have already made up their minds. I have nothing to say. Malaysia is what it is today because of compromises made by all the communities,” said Shamsul.
He said that there were ample opportunities for all communities to progress in this country and it was because of making compromises that Malaysia is a peaceful nation.
‘Have faith in the panel’
Uthaya Sankar, one of the panellists named in the SMS, asked Indian NGOs against the use of the controversial Form Five Bahasa Malaysia novel to have faith in the panel.
“It is important that the Indian community has trust and faith in the panel. We will do our best to come with up an acceptable compromise taking into account the fears and concerns expressed by
numerous NGOs and prominent ethnic Indians.
“This is the time to be united and show support and not to distrust the Indian representatives in the panel,” said Uthaya Sankar.
Muhyiddin had called for the formation of an independent panel last month to amend the contentious portions of the book.
He decided that Interlok would not be taken off the syllabus but would be retained albeit with amendments.
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