Letter to TheSunDaily
Assoc Prof Dr Sivachandralingam Sundara Raja
Department of History
University of Malaya
to the discipline of history
I MUST say that it is a sad day for historians when the nation fails to take stock of the grouses raised by various quarters since the subject of history syllabus in school had been highlighted in newspapers since last year. It must be noted that the main grouses were with regard to objectivity in writing history/doing away with moral lessons. Unfortunately the term of reference for the committee which will be reviewing the syllabus seems to be focussing on the content of secondary school’s history curriculum and textbooks to ensure they are able to nurture patriotism and loyalty to the country and strengthen their identity as Malaysians. If this is so history will be repeated with the new history textbooks emphasising moral lesson for every historical event. I cannot understand how the committee could agree with the terms of reference set by the ministry. As a historian, I’m sad that historians fail to be objective. Historians must adhere to their own rules of fairness, reason and logic while constructing stories about the human past. In addition, they must support their claims with actual evidence as the basis for plausible and valid inferences. When all this is complied, it will fulfil the requirements of objectivity.
Any attempt to cultivate patriotism through historical events means we are not teaching history but merely being propagandist. I’m afraid the next generation will curse this committee for not being able to stand up for the discipline of history which they belong to. If patriotism is the ultimate aim, it will lead to value judgments in the narratives and affect evaluation of the facts. If special facts are chosen to instil patriotism, the chances of skewing the story in one way or another are enhanced even more.
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