Malaysia's Historical Records Still Remain In The Hands Of Other Nations

By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), Aug 29 (Bernama) -- On Monday, Malaysia celebrates National Day 2015, with this year's theme being #sehatisejiwa (One Heart, One Soul), which reflects the spirit of unity, understanding and togetherness of all the people of this country. The fact that our nation succeeded in claiming independence from the British through the process of negotiation, without spilling a single drop of blood, has made history too. If not for the National Archives of Malaysia's preservation of valuable historical documents and records, today's Generation Y will have no access to proof of how the country's past leaders obtained freedom from colonial rule and declared independence on Aug 31, 1957. A senior lecturer at the Faculty of Information Management at Universiti Teknologi MARA's (UiTM) Puncak Perdana campus, here, Alwi Mohd Yunus, said Malaysia's history was written based on observations, experiences and references to historical documents and facts retained in the form of records and archives. MANY MALAYSIAN RECORDS KEPT OVERSEAS Is it true that many historical records belonging to Malaysia still remain in the hands of other nations? The probability of this is high considering that this country had been colonised several times. Before securing independence, Malaya had been dominated by the British and the Japanese. Earlier in the 16th and 17th centuries, Melaka came under Portuguese, and later Dutch, rule, while Siam (now Thailand) had the upper hand in Kedah (northern state) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Alwi said colonialism had resulted in the flight of documents containing crucial information on Malaya to the ruling nations. "Many collections of records and documents are presently being stored in Portugal, Holland, Britain, and even in India and Australia... these records and documents are related to Malayan history. "In fact, there are also thousands of yellowing manuscripts that are being kept at the Public Records Office of London and at the Oxford University library in Britain. Some of them have been digitalised and can be accessed online today," he told Bernama. He said outsiders were aware that the non-availability or absence of certain historical facts and documents could retard the growth and development of any nation state. "If a nation state lacks a sense of identity that is born of a deep understanding of its historical past, there are bound to be shortcomings here and there. It's not possible, then, to build a strong sense of identity," he said. NATION'S HISTORY NEED NOT BE DISPUTED Referring to a quote by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who said, "History is written by the victors", Alwi said there was an element of truth in that as a nation's history was usually dictated by those who took over the reins of power. "The initiative taken by a ruler to document the rise and fall of a nation state helps to mould the citizens' way of thinking and enables them to understand the process through which independence was attained. "History is about the bittersweet experiences a nation state had to endure in its journey towards progress. It's about the sacrifices made by the past generations so that their descendants can enjoy a better life," he said. Alwi also criticised attempts by certain quarters to rewrite Malaysia's history, pointing out that it was unnecessary as history was not something that should be disputed. To avert confusion, the National Archives preserves numerous historical documents and records, which the public can refer to. "These records contain all the facts written about Malaysia's history. Only researchers who have the expertise and indepth knowledge can comprehend these facts. "We must remember that Malaysia is unique. It consists of a multiracial society and, right from the beginning, it has gone through various important phases in its history," he said. ROLE OF RECORD MANAGEMENT IN SOCIETY Society's failure to understand and appreciate the history of how their nation state was built from scratch may lead to the people feeling jaded, and even facing an identity crisis and placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Alwi said society should study and appreciate their nation's struggle for independence because it was their duty to ensure that the peace and harmony they enjoyed today would be inherited by the future generations. "This is where record management and the National Archives play an important role, which is to maintain documents and important collections of records pertaining to the development of a nation state called Malaysia - for everyone to refer to. "How many among us have actually visited the National Archives to carry out research into Malaya? How many of us have made an effort to get authentic and clear facts, instead of merely surfing the Internet to retrieve information about our nation's history?" he asked. Alwi said misinformation peddled by certain parties which have control over information technology may lead to people being deceived by false propaganda, which may give rise to shallowness and narrow-mindedness in a society. "Such information doesn't help build a nation... it's aimed at causing disunity supposedly in the name of freedom of expression and opinion. We've to rely on information that's based on facts taken from records and documents that verify that certain events had taken place in the history of this nation named Malaysia," he said. Happy National Day 2015 Malaysia! -- BERNAMA