History must reflect our diversity, says Wee

Making his point: Dr Wee showing a copy of a reference book on history for primary school children at the MCA annual general meeting in Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: History books must accurately reflect the country’s diversity, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

The MCA deputy president underlined that when pointing out the Year Four history textbook had a one-sided narration of the country’s past, a point of contention within the Chinese community.

“In addition, we have also found mistakes in facts and translations and inappropriate pictures,” he said during the debate at the party’s 62nd annual general meeting yesterday.

MCA, with the help of eight other Chinese education organisations, is taking a two-pronged approach to solve the issue.

“Last year, we submitted a 70-page proposal listing the mistakes and our suggested revisions for the textbook to the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister,” he said.

Apart from that, the party had also compiled history syllabus from Year Four to Year Six into a reference book that “encompasses diversity”.

Dr Wee said the book, which highlights the contributions of all races in nation-building, was “appropriate for all students in Malaysia”.

Some 330,000 copies of the reference book, scheduled to be completed on Nov 30, will be printed in December and distributed to primary schools nationwide.

Total cost, including the printing, amounts to RM1.13mil.

“This is MCA’s approach, via two channels, to restore our history,” said Dr Wee.

Earlier, several MCA central delegates called for Barisan Nasional politicians who uttered racist and seditious statements to be expelled from the coalition.

MCA’s Taiping division representative Lee Haw Chen said the Chinese community wondered why the party chose to remain within a coalition that repeatedly harmed its feelings.

“But why should MCA leave Barisan? It is the politicians and political parties that mar our nation’s image and erode the Barisan spirit who should leave the coalition,” he said when thanking party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai for his opening speech.

Lee said the labelling of the Chinese community as pendatang, and a minister’s call to boycott Chinese businesses further fuelled racial tensions in the country.

He urged the MCA central committee to form a council with other Barisan component parties to take action against these politicians.

“Even if Umno is the one found eroding the spirit of Barisan, the remaining 12 parties should vote the party out, and not ask MCA to leave,” he said.

Rasah MCA division representative Yap Siok Moy said Malaysia’s diversity should be preserved for the country to progress. She said although DAP appeared to be stronger politically, MCA still remained the sole party striving to preserve the welfare of local Chinese.

Yap, too, called for action to be taken against politicians who fanned racial sentiments to gain support.

“The police should arrest Jamal Yunus (Sungai Besar Umno chief) and Ali Tinju (army veteran Mohd Ali Baharom) for spewing seditious statements,” she said.

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