Interlok [SEP] publisher
pariah caste"), which often refers to persons from the lowest caste in the Indian caste system.
"Interlok" was withdrawn from the school syllabus on 15 January 2011 following a discussion between the Education Ministry of Malaysia and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. However, this decision was reversed on 28 January 2011 following a discussion between Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, MIC president G. Palanivel and MIC deputy president S. Subramaniam and deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. The latest decision effectively retains "Interlok" as part of the syllabus in
Interlok
Interlok is a 1971 Malay language novel written by Malaysian national laureate Abdullah Hussain. The novel was included in the syllabus for the Malay Literature subject as compulsory reading for students in Form 5 (Secondary 5) in schools throughout Malaysia. "Interlok" caused a controversy when detractors claim that the novel contained derogatory words to describe Malaysian Indians, such as "pariah" and "black people". The largest Malaysian Indian political party, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), demanded that the novel be removed from the