Author of the novel Interlok, that courted nationwide anger of the Indian community after it was made a school textbook, has passed away.
 
According to Bernama radio, the national laureate Abdullah Hussain (right), 94, passed away from old age at his residence in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, roughly 9pm last night.

The controversy over the novel for its unflattering depiction of the early Indian community was brewed for several years leading up to the 13th general election in 2013.

Chinese groups on March 30, 2011 even issued a statement saying "the book is not only offensive to Indians but Chinese as well", Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran was reported noting in 2013.

The controversy did not end with Interlok, as last November another of his writings again raised the ire of the non-Malays for being included in a book of SPM model questions.
 
The ministry had approved the use of his anthology of short stories called 'Harga Remaja', as part of a Form Four text for the Bahasa Malaysia literature component.
 
DAP's Sibu MP Oscar Ling on Nov 4 at the Parliament lobby questioned by the ministry did not act against the published of the SPM workbook, that ran a question based on the short story 'Mellisa'.
 
According to Ling, in the 2014 workbook students were asked why the "Chinese willing to even kill Malays" and vice-versa, among a host of other racial innuendos.