Sawarak Chief Minister Adenan Satem has called for history textbooks in Malaysia’s schools to be rewritten to shed light on the contributions of non-Malays to the country’s growth.
On TV3’s Soal Jawab forum programme last night, Adenan questioned why history books in the Malaysian education syllabus focused primarily on the history of the Malays and concentrated on events in Peninsular Malaysia.
Tying in his statement to the Sarawak state government’s recent push for greater autonomy from Putrajaya, Adenan added that the “lopsided” depictions in current history textbooks spurred his state government to demand more autonomy in education.
He also said that the “flip-flops” in Putrajaya’s national education policy, particularly on the importance of the English language, was another impetus for Sarawak to demand foe the return of more administrative autonomy to the state.
“It’s inconsistent and this confuses the people. “Different education ministers have different direction. You must be consistent,” he said.
“English is a universal language. It’s a language not only spoken in England. “It’s a language used in science, literature and most other subjects. “By placing emphasis on English does not mean we push aside Bahasa Malaysia. We can have both languages.”
Adenan also derided the policy of posting Malay-Muslim teachers, particularly from religiously conservative Peninsular states like Kelantan and Terengganu, to teach in predominantly non-Muslim areas in the Sarawak interior.
He said that while Sarawak would not object to such postings, the policy could lead to inappropriate situations that could “create misunderstanding due to religious and cultural differences”.
Adenan maintained, however, that Sarawak would adhere to Malaysia’s national education policy, even with increased autonomy.
