Dr Hasmah Mohd Ali, the wife of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has urged educators to take follow-up action on the guidelines to identify lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (LGBT) which were launched in Penang last week.

Siti Hasmah said she believed the guidelines , published by Yayasan Guru Malaysia Bhd and the Putrajaya Consultative Council of Parents and Teachers Association, were produced by those who were knowledgeable on the issue.

azlan “I feel that the guidelines were produced by those who have experience, there must be a follow-up so that it would be good for teachers as a guide,” she said.

However, she admitted that she was not so knowledgeable on the LGBT issue.

She made the brief comment while launching a programme on early detection of drug abuse organised by Pengasih Malaysia and Petronas in Kuala Lumpur today.

Meanwhile, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has objected to the distribution of the guidelines on LGBT in schools.

NUTP president Hashim Adnan told Berita Harian that the Education Ministry has, from time to time, taken proactive steps to provide counselling for students to prevent them from becoming involved in those negative activities.

“NUTP thinks that the LGBT guidelines should not be brought into schools because they were not suitable for students.

“Furthermore, the ministry has emphasised the aspects of spirituality and morals through various training programmes and modules,” he was quoted as saying.

The Education Ministry has denied endorsing the document and the publisher, Yayasan Guru Malaysia, has also clarified that the document is not a guide but an advice for teachers.

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