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‘The context of my comment on Interlok’ – Tony Milner
Written by Anthony Milner Friday, 10 June 2011 09:20
Education
On 7 June I was invited to meet with a Kairos group to discuss issues relating to the Malaysian national history curriculum. As an outsider to this country I would of course not want to make public comment on these issues, but was happy to exchange thoughts with a group of friends. I was surprised and disturbed to see a report of the event in The Malaysian Insider.
At the meeting I spoke about problems and debates around the Australian national history curriculum, and then turned to Malaysia. I mentioned the difficult task of creating a national narrative that would help to satisfy a range of Malay aspirations, and the current concern (as I saw it) to change the curriculum in ways that would provide more emotive content for non-Malay students, particularly in the light of the Government ‘1Malaysia’ commitment.
I suggested (almost as an afterthought) that, ironically, the novel ‘Interlock’ – which has been much criticized by non-Malays – appears to me to make more effort than the history text books to incorporate Chinese and Indian experience in the Malaysian narrative.
I pointed out that I’d only been able to obtain the English translation, and would certainly not wish to comment on the issues of language that have been much discussed in the media (or on the way the novel is currently taught in schools). From what is said on the CPI website about the book, the English translation must be a violent distortion of the real text. It was on the basis of the English text that I expressed the view that the author was – in his own way – attempting to promote an inclusive national story. It may be of interest that only a couple of people in the room said they had read Interlok, either in Malay or English.
As I’ve suggested, creating a national history curriculum is a matter for insiders. In my Australian experience it can be a divisive and emotional process, but might just contribute in the long run to social reconciliation. It seems to me that there are elements in Malaysian history that do have the potential to help build an inclusive narrative – and mentioned a couple of these at the Kairos meeting. But I may be too optimistic, and simply do not have the local experience to contribute seriously to this Malaysian national conversation.
I regret that the unexpected reporting of my thinking aloud has caused offence.
See also:
Where in the world has a fiction been used as a history book?
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10-06-2011 | temenggong
Dr. Milner,
Thank you for the clarification.
I wonder how you missed, even in the english translation, the racial insults, stereotyping and the political agenda. It is like making the Mein Kampf standard teaching material in Israel.
Pass this message around; the ONLY other race today, obsessed with ethnic cleansing, are the Malays, trying to cap and roll back 180 years of British rule. It is given various terms. I am sure your understand 'cap and roll back'. It means ethnic cleansing.
Please pass on this message to your Aussie mates.
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10-06-2011 | chan KM - Give Milner a break
Guys, give this Tony a break. He has clarified and had offered an apology. It is obvious that he did not have the full knowledge but offered his frank views of what he thought of the Novel.
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10-06-2011 | Maverick
Fairdinkum ,
good'day cobber it would have been very appropriate if you had vaguest idea waht Malaysian politics is about. If you give the ruling morons an inch the very next that they will claim that the Torres Straits Islanders are an off-shoot them and start claiming Northern Territory as theirs. Anyway you are wellcome to my fire.
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10-06-2011 | RastamanJB
Mr Anthony,
Learning without thinking is useless.Thinking without learning is dangerous.Aussies are well known for poking their noses into matters not connected to them.
My advice to you is to steer clear of this Interlok controversy.
Damage control doesn't take away one's ignorance.
Would you welcome Malaysians to comment on your aboriginal issues ?
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10-06-2011 | Adrian - Say NO to distorted History
It is good that Mr Milner has now come out to clarify his position in the controversial Racist 'Interlok' book.
The Interlok book has a personal political racist agenda akin to MaHATEthir type of agenda.
Is it a pure coincidence that the Education Minister who is also Deputy PM is supported by ex PM Mahathir who has divided the Good people of all races with his racist policy esp the BTN Course and bumi vs non bumi policy.
Mahathir or MaHATEthir has ENRICHED himself and family esp his Sons all on public funds.
We are talking billions of public & treasury money in telephone number figures after MaHATEthir sacked Anwar & grabbed Finance post for himself after Anwar refused to bail out MaHATEthir's son troubled shipping firm with Petronas and public funds.
In the course of personal greed and a racist agenda MaHATEthir has destroyed Unity among the Malays ,our Institutions,independence of police & judiciary (by using these as political tools to extract confessions fr Munawir & other Anwar's aide and then sentencing Anwar to jail on trumped up charges)
MaHATEthir spreads hatred & hide his ill gotten billions behind Racist & Controversial topics -a very deceitful opportunist operator.
Interlok has racist MaHATEthir stamped all over it with its derogatory & distorted jaundiced views of the minorities non muslim malays esp indians & chinese who have contributed immensely to Malaysia.
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10-06-2011 | scl
Prof a little knowledge is dangerous. It is better to do a proper research or studies before comments are made.
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10-06-2011 | najib manaukau - najib manaukau
Do you agree with the corrupted Umno morons that the original people of Malaysia are the Orang Asli as the name suggests and the 'Head Hunters' in west Malaysia ?
Just like the Red Indians in America and the Aborigines of Australia are the sons of the soil.
The entire world knows that as a matter of fact.
Surely you are not going to be twisted and influenced by the bunch of morons in Umno to say that they are ? And for whatever the reasons, you can't call a dog a lion ?
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SCL - fyi, the quote is "a little learning is a dangerous thing" (Pope) and could be the motto of the Malaysian MOE as well as some of the comments above. Judging by the responses to Dr Milner (with the exception of Chan) I'd be surprised if any of the posters have actually read Interlok (it's very dull) in either Malay or English - I certainly haven't met any Malaysians who have.
The racism of the book is limited to stereotypes (it's set pre-UMNO so can't really blame them this time) and is spread evenly among the Malays, Indians and Chinese. Perhaps the English version is very different (tho I doubt it). It should be a set text despite its lack of literary merit because of the discussions it generates.