By P. Gunasegaram
Malaysiakini regular contributor Ranjit Singh Malhi’s book – “Forgotten Malaysian History – Restoring Voice, Reclaiming Truth” addresses directly the troubling trend of underplaying the contribution of other communities in Malaysia.
In a hard-cover publication of over 430 pages retailing for RM100 a piece, he enumerates numerous instances of mis and under-representation of the roles played by non-Malays in Malaysia, especially in school text books with previous entries altered or omitted altogether.
Malaysiakini readers would be well aware of his frequent articles on such misrepresentations, and a voice given to minorities whose roles are not sufficiently aired through numerous articles he contributed to the news portal.
The first 34 chapters are based on corresponding articles in Malaysiakini but widened and properly annotated as befits its inclusion in a book of this nature. One which is totally new is Chapter 35 on the May 13, 1969 racial riots.
Ranjit’s book acknowledgments include Malaysiakini founder and former editor-in-chief Steven Gan who approved his request to run a column on history in Malaysiakini.
Substantially reworked
As Ranjit says in the introduction to the book, each chapter has been “substantially reworked: expanded with richer detail, sharpened analysis, and supported by specific citations from authoritative sources.”
The impetus for the book, in Ranjit’s words: “Since 1996, Malaysia’s secondary school history textbooks have presented a markedly one-sided narrative – overwhelmingly framed through Malay and Islamic perspectives – resulting in distortions, half-truths and the omission of important facts vital to nation building.
“In effect, many young Malaysians are likely learning a government-sanctioned version of history framed largely through the perspective of one ethnic group and perceived by critics as aligned with the concept of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ (Malay supremacy).”
He further goes on to outline what’s missing in the textbooks that merit attention. First, the pivotal roles of non-Malays in tin-mining, rubber cultivation, commercial agriculture and infrastructure development are minimised or erased.
Second, civilisational coverage emphasises Islam, minimising Indian and Chinese civilisation and sidelining the “profound Hindu-Buddhist influence on Malay language, literature, governance, and culture”.
Third, in terms of accuracy and attributions, there are occasional errors in dates, attributions and the portrayal of historical figures such as Parameswara which undermines credibility.
Finally he takes issue with the poor representation of the position of the original inhabitants, the Orang Asli who “are virtually invisible in the narratives of the Form 1-5 textbooks”.
Common distortions
Chapter 1 kicks it off with a discussion of common distortions in Malaysia’s textbooks which centre around diminishing the contributions of non-Malays. This is expanded further in the next seven chapters.
Examples include diminishing the role of Yap Ah Loy’ contributions in founding Kuala Lumpur.
While a 1979 edition of the Form Four history textbook devoted three pages to this, it was reduced to a mention subsequently. “That such a rich account has been reduced to a perfunctory mention in the latest textbooks is not merely an oversight; it is an act of historical diminishment.”
Another example is the minimisation of the treatment of Orang Asli, with the current series of textbooks providing only minimal coverage. They are no longer explicitly acknowledged as the first people.
Ranjit says the Form Four textbook (2019 page 225) explicitly states that the Malays are the “rakyat asal Tanah Melayu” (the original people of Malaya). Such omissions matter, and risk obscuring the primacy of the Orang Asli and the peninsula’s deep indigenous heritage, he adds.
One more example is the diminishment of Indian influences on Malay language, culture and practices and the myth perpetuated in the 2017 Form 2 history book (page 82) that Parameswara (Malacca’s founding prince) converted to Islam in 1414 and adopted the name Megat Iskandar Shah.
Ranjit cites Ming dynasty sources quoted in books to say that Parameswara and Megat Iskandar Shah were father and son. “This primary evidence not only debunks the textbook’s claim but also exposes a troubling disregard for well-established historical facts,” he added.
There are numerous other examples of misrepresentations in this chapter and the seven chapters that follow including the following:
- Quoting one author to say that the real home of the Malays is Sumatra, not the Malay peninsula. Most Malays migrated to the Malay peninsula in historical times and owe their origin to Sumatra.
- In 1931, less than 60 per cent of those recorded as “Malay” had resided in Malaya for more than forty years.
- In 2013, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, then Home Affairs minister declared that “over half of Malaysian ministers are of Indonesian descent”.
- Indian presence in Malaya dates back 2,000 years while Chinese presence is evident from the 15th century
There are many such snippets of information interspersed within the first eight chapters. Most of the rest of the chapters cover the minority communities – even those within the Chinese, Indian and Malay communities, those in Sabah and Sarawak and the indigenous communities.
They are all interesting, well-researched and give glimpses into their lives and history, bringing back echoes of an era past which are in dire danger of being forgotten altogether in future.
Chapters 30-34 are devoted to five leaders – Social Front activist Karam Singh Veriah (not many youngsters will remember him), DAP leader Karpal Singh, PAS leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, former deputy prime minister Ismail Abdul Rahman and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Only Mahathir is still around. There are interesting insights about each of them.
Setting history straight
The final Chapter 35 is a brief account of May 13, 1969 its origins and participants, and a discussion of the numerous theories surrounding its occurrence, the only large-scale outbreak of racial riots in the country.
It’s an excellent, balanced and informative starting point for those interested in knowing more about this sad, momentous episode which reshaped Malaysian history in startling ways. It’s perhaps the most significant event in post-Merdeka Malaysia, changing its character forever.
This is a badly needed book for Malaysia simply because it helps to set the historical record straight and suggests ways and means that this can be achieved. One hopes our leaders pay attention. Distorting history is no way to build a nation.
The only major complaint I have is the price point of the book at RM100. But it is a hard-cover edition. My hope is that it is produced in a soft-cover edition at perhaps half the price and is available in an e-book version too.
Along with this a Malay edition will also improve accessibility and help to foster what I hope is an informed debate about the real history of the country without the disturbance of politics, racial, religious and regional differences.
A nation must be built on truth. Ranjit has made an important contribution here, an attempt to help put history right by setting it straight.
P Gunasegaram says truth, no matter how unpalatable, must be the basis for positive change.
You must be logged in to post a comment.