Education Ministry considers claim of missing Tun M pic from textbook a 'crazy stunt'

Its minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said it was a slander by certain parties to cause the public to blame the ministry.

"For me, it is a deliberate act by certain parties. Although in politics, Tun Mahathir is now part of the opposition and is a Barisan Nasional opponent, why is there suddenly a need to remove the picture from the book," he told reporters after opening the Padang Serai UMNO Division Delegates' Conference here, Friday.

Mahdzir said the ministry had never given any instructions to remove the former prime minister's picture, and stressed that the image of the book which had been made viral was not published by the ministry.

"How could it be possible, considering we have certain procedures, including review committees and professional committees to filter the content in school textbooks," he said.