History not just glory of the past

Posted on 8 November 2010 - 06:19pm

THE announcement by the government to make history a must-pass subject in the iji! Pe!ajaran "a!aysia # P"$ %rom 201& seems to have received indi%%erent responses %rom many 'uarters( )!though the majority agreed history is important %or nation bui!ding some have *arned that one has to be cautious be%ore imp!ementing the po!icy( )s a historian + *ou!d !ike to state my vie* on the matter( +t is a kno*n %act that the subject o% history in schoo! doesn,t attract the interest o% students and this vie* *ou!d be shared by teachers too( -he common grouses are that the subject is boring. sy!!abus is too *ide. po!itica!!y a!igned. %avours a particu!ar race. the %ocus is on one main re!igious civi!isation. memorising o% dates and persona!ities. hero *orshipping certain events in history and mora! !essons %or every historica! event( /istory then is memorised %or the sake o% passing e0ams( -he emphasis o% 1orm 1ive sy!!abus *hich dra* mora! !essons %rom historica! events is indeed true in the e0am 'uestions( -he e0am papers are %i!!ed *ith 'uestions re!ating to the mora!s o% a particu!ar historica! occurrence( /istory !essons in "a!aysian schoo!s seem to be meant %or nation-bui!ding and %ai! to appreciate the subject as it is( /istory is not everything about the greatness o% the past but a!so the dark side o% a nation( /istory can no !onger be !imited to the story o% great *ars or narrative o% po!itica! events( +t must give due attention not on!y to %e* outstanding men *hose names are kno*n in "a!aysian history but a!so to the anonymous masses( )!! the di%%erent kinds o% history contribute to our kno*!edge o% ho* a civi!isation is %ormed and ho* it deve!ops %rom age to age( tudents must be taught that the history o% a nation has its g!orious and dark days( -hey must be taught that %rom the pages o% history one can see that not a!! decisions in it are correct and they change according to times( -he economic po!icy o% 2urope in the 13th century *hich *as kno*n as mercanti!ism *as right at the time but not so in the 18th century( )dam mith debunked mercanti!ism and promoted alaissez-faire po!icy and it e0p!ains *hy 4ritain and other 2uropean nations spearheaded industria!ism(

/istory is a process and one shou!d not take an event and *orship it *ithout seeing its shortcomings( )nother e0amp!e is "a!acca *hich *as a great trading empire in the 15th century but it had its shortcomings *hich !ed to the %a!! o% the Portuguese in 1511( +n short. history is not a!! about the g!ory o% the past depicted in our schoo! te0tbooks( -he government must make sure that the vie*s o% a!! stakeho!ders are sought be%ore a decision is taken to make the subject compu!sory( )s suggested by "6). it *ou!d be good i% the government cou!d set up a mu!tiracia! pane! representing the curricu!um revie* committee to oversee the *riting o% the history sy!!abus %rom 7ear 8ne to 9pper i0( -he pane! must make sure that history in the schoo! sy!!abus is objective and covers the tota! history o% "a!aysia : not on!y about government and po!itics. but a!so about the minorities. the !e%tists and the oppressed( 8n!y then *i!! *e be doing justice to history( 2%%orts shou!d a!so be made to change the method in *hich history is taught in schoo!( tudents shou!d be tested on their historica! ski!!s rather than abi!ity to memorise %acts( +t *i!! be good %or us to ponder on *hat Pro%essor )rasaratnam innapah said in his !ecture entit!ed ;Prob!ems in the <riting o% "a!aysian /istory.; *hich he presented at the "a!aysian /istory eminar in 1932( /is vie*s are re!evant to the current po!emic( -o 'uote )rasaratnam: ;2ach age *rites about *hat it *ants to kno* %rom the past. !ooks at it through its o*n eyes. interprets in its o*n *ay(; -here is thus a continuing process o% interpretation and reinterpretation going on( -here%ore it is a right and a necessary thing that *e are doing in this stage o% our deve!opment to seek to reinterpret our history( 4ut a *ord o% caution : it is a!! right %or an age to *rite its o*n history. but in doing this it must see to it that the past is not subject to the present= that the past does not become the s!ave o% the present( /istory has no !essons to teach( ) historian *rites history and then a!!o*s the statesmen. the po!itician and propagandist to dra* their o*n !essons %rom it( 4ut history itse!% does not teach any !essons( /istory as past happenings is independent o% the present : it is done. it is gone. it is %inished( +ts independence and its autonomy must be respected( 7ou just cannot use it %or your o*n end at this stage( )n interpretation o% today may and perhaps be rejected tomorro*( Dr Sivachandralingam Sundara Raja is an associate pro%essor *ith the /istory >epartment 9niversity o% "a!aya(