Malay status textbook question raises netizens' ire
Nigel AwPublished: Mar 4, 2012 9:27 AM | Updated: Mar 4, 2012 3:25 PM
A Form Five exercise book containing a question about maintaining the status of the Malays has earned the ire of netizens.
A Form Five exercise book containing a question about maintaining the status of the Malays has earned the ire of netizens.
The question, photographed and uploaded on Facebook on Feb 26, has garnered close to 3,000 shares.
The secondary school exercise book is part of the ‘Effective Practice’ series published by Oxford Fajar for Form Five history.
The contentious question is on Page 31, which reads: “If you are a leader, name two steps you can do to defend the Malays’ status quo?”
Netizen Jack Lim who uploaded the question, wrote on the picture’s caption: “Flip my daughter history exercise book and this caught my eye. I feel sorry for my kid to study in this country.”
It has since garnered several negative feedbacks from netizens countrywide.
“This is the work of those racist guys hiding in the system,” said Chin Yew Meng on Facebook, while Vincent Wong said: “This is real sick.”
Question taken out of context
However, when contacted, book publisher Oxford Fajar social science unit editorial manager Nurazizan Abdul Aziz took pains to clarify that the question had been taken out of context.
“When the question was written, it was in the context of ‘Malays against the British’, not Malays against any other races.
“Don’t misunderstand, it was about the Malayan Union then, not Malays as they are now,” she said.
Nurazizan added that all the questions were constructed based on the textbook set by the government for secondary schools, and there was no other intention on the part of the publisher to offend anyone.
The answer to the question, which is found on Page J10 of the book states: “To tighten citizenship” and “Pressure the British to protect Malay interests”.
The question, photographed and uploaded on Facebook on Feb 26, has garnered close to 3,000 shares.
The secondary school exercise book is part of the ‘Effective Practice’ series published by Oxford Fajar for Form Five history.
The contentious question is on Page 31, which reads: “If you are a leader, name two steps you can do to defend the Malays’ status quo?”Netizen Jack Lim who uploaded the question, wrote on the picture’s caption: “Flip my daughter history exercise book and this caught my eye. I feel sorry for my kid to study in this country.”
It has since garnered several negative feedbacks from netizens countrywide.
“This is the work of those racist guys hiding in the system,” said Chin Yew Meng on Facebook, while Vincent Wong said: “This is real sick.”
Question taken out of context
However, when contacted, book publisher Oxford Fajar social science unit editorial manager Nurazizan Abdul Aziz took pains to clarify that the question had been taken out of context.
“When the question was written, it was in the context of ‘Malays against the British’, not Malays against any other races.
“Don’t misunderstand, it was about the Malayan Union then, not Malays as they are now,” she said.
Nurazizan added that all the questions were constructed based on the textbook set by the government for secondary schools, and there was no other intention on the part of the publisher to offend anyone.
The answer to the question, which is found on Page J10 of the book states: “To tighten citizenship” and “Pressure the British to protect Malay interests”.
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