Khoo's son slams Isma for abusing dad's work
The son of noted historian Khoo Kay Kim has hit out at right-wing group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for using his father's work to label the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia as "pendatang" (immigrants).
The son of noted historian Khoo Kay Kim has hit out at right-wing group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for using his father's work to label the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia as "pendatang" (immigrants).
Eddin Khoo (below) said his father's work is a widely-acknowledged scholarly study in Malaysian historiography and is not meant to be used to abuse other communities.
"I wish to stress that it was a scholarly academic study, not a piece of writing that fuels the culture of abuse and name calling that has become the political culture among those who can best be described as stupid, ignorant and malicious," he said in a letter which first appeared on The Malaysian Insider .
He was responding to the IsmaWeb editor Mohd Firdaus Salleh Hudin.
Mohd Firdaus yesterday quoted the retired professor's work on Chinese and Indian immigration in an opinion piece titled: 'Khoo Kay Kim has proven that Chinese and Indians are pendatang'.
"Perhaps you, Firdaus, did not fully understand the essay, or perhaps did not read the original essay at all but based your understanding on excerpts or rumour.
Semi-literate
"This is what can be described as a 'semi-literate' reading and writings based on a 'semi-literate' understanding can only be regarded as not possessing integrity," Eddin said.
He added that the essay had also encapsulated the experience of immigration of the Chinese and Indians to the Malay peninsula.
Eddin, a notable arts and culture writer, said he also hoped IsmaWeb would publish his clarification on the matter.
At writing time, Eddin's comment has yet to appear on IsmaWeb.
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