Two sides of history

The school project requires the primary school students to write about the history of Melaka and my son duly asked for my help. He is seeking for a book on history of Melaka as a reference. I asked him to pick a specific book from my collection in the book shelves. That particular book was one of the reference I used during my studies in university many years ago.

It is a good reference on history of Malaysia and the authors had updated it since then. The book , "A History of Malaysia" by Barbara Watson Andaya and Leonard Y. Andaya was published by Macmillan Press Ltd.

Being a history buff and a degree in History, for sure I was very happy to help out my son for his school history project. What happens next was something unexpected from a primary school kid. After he read some parts of the book I picked for him, he commented that the facts in the Andaya book is inaccurate and not the same as what he read in his school books!

I was startled initially but then I told him, in reality it was the facts in his school books which is misleading!

This is serious matter and not a small matter indeed especially when there are people who is still insisting the country's independence was fought by only one particular race and other than the Malays, all Malaysians are pendatang or immigrants!

Many people has the tendency to assumed that Malaysia's history started from Melaka since 1400 and this had also gives credence to those who linked the starting point of Malay history with the beginning of the Melaka Sultanate. Factually this is arguable. The Andayas wrote in the book mentioned above,

"But Melaka's rise from a quiet fishing village to a world-renowned emporium and centre of Malay culture cannot be explained unless one realizes that behind the splendour of its court and vigour of its commerce lay traditions of government and trade which had evolved over centuries. The story of Malaysia does not therefore begin at Melaka but stretches back deep into the past. An examination of Melaka's heritage provides not only the context essential for an understanding of later events but throws up themes which continue to be relevant as Malaysian history unfolds."

If certain people intentionally re-intepret and re-writes history with the purpose of glorifying their own kind and at the same time denies other people's contribution and historical background with this country, it will be a sad day indeed for our nation building process and more than 50 years of nationhood.