The recent disclosure by Prof Shamsul Amri Baharuddin that the revised ethnic relations module intended as a compulsory course in universities has been sent back to the cabinet for approval is welcome. Unfortunately, this draft is still being made available to a small group of academicians for review.

In view of the importance of the course in providing our university students with a historically accurate and academically rigorous background to the evolution of our multi-racial society and how the various communities and sub-communities have contributed to making Malaysia what it is today, I would like to propose that the cabinet makes available the draft for public feedback before final approval.

This can be done by putting it on the Ministry of Higher Education's website. This method of soliciting public input is being implemented by the Ministry of Education in connection with the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010. There is no reason why it cannot be similarly done in the case of the highly contentious ethnic relations course.

I would like to caution that rushing approval for the course - through what is perceived in many quarters to be a narrowly politically controlled process - will be counterproductive and would result in even more skepticism and objections from concerned Malaysians.

It is especially important to our younger generation that the fullest efforts be made to ensure agreement on a non-partisan and historically truthful course purged of political, racial, cultural and religious bias with neither propagandistic content and narrow analysis.

In the interest of public transparency and accountability, academicians and scholars who have been consulted in the drafting of the present version should make public their views on any special concerns that they may still have.