Monday August 31, 2009

A history that belongs to all

By TUNKU HALIM

Ours is a success story that deserves to be told and told well to our young in the classroom to foster better understanding and unity.

Through textbooks, sports and interaction, educators should eliminate ethnic stereotypes. Through the imaginative teaching of the history of Islamic, Chinese and Indian civilisation, educators could foster greater understanding among different ethnic groups. – Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, the Raja Muda of Perak

THE first time I spent many hours in close proximity with so many children of other races was when I entered Standard One. Here was a truly multiracial experience.

There is within many of our schools the living and breathing essence of multiracial Malaysia. Children of all races study and play there together. To them friendship is the most important thing. Race and religion are furthest from their young minds.

‘History helps us understand who we are and where we have come from. This, in turn, allows us to appreciate other races whose ancestors too may have come from afar. And all of us, their descendants, are lucky enough to meet and mingle on this soil which we call home.’ Tunku Halim

Such are the benefits of diversity.

Yet, we do not need to spend much time in the history classroom or lecture hall to know that race, religion and culture sometimes dominate and can often be misused. Whether it’s called Tawarikh, Sejarah or History 101, we have learnt that nations and empires have fallen apart due to this.

There are sadly too many examples across the length and breath of history that show how race and religion can not only divide a country but bring its normally peaceful people into armed conflict.

So how did so many races end up here?

In our Sejarah classroom, we learn that the Chinese first arrived in Malacca in the 15th century. Their descendants are known as the Babas. In the 1850s, many Chinese moved to the British Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang, their descendants are known as Straits Chinese. It was these businessmen that brought in many Chinese from Southern China, known as sinkeh or newcomers to work in the tin mines on the Malay Peninsula.

Old temple sites tell us that Indians had visited and traded with our “land of gold” from at least the 3rd century. In the late 19th century, the British brought the many peoples from the subcontinent in to work in the rubber, sugar and coffee plantations.

As for the Malays, many arrived here from across the Malay archipelago. The Bugis, Minangkabaus, Javanese, Acehnese are but some of the peoples who have made Malaysia their home. It is, however, the Orang Asli from the Malay Peninsula, the Ibans and Kadazans and other indigenous peoples from Borneo, and the Northern Malays who can justifiably claim that they have always dwelled here. But, if we are not regressing too far into prehistory, it is likely that even their ancestors had to have settled here from somewhere else.

History helps us understand who we are and where we have come from. This, in turn, allows us to appreciate other races whose ancestors too may have come from afar. And all of us, their descendants, are lucky enough to meet and mingle on this soil which we call home.

Our forebears may have journeyed here centuries ago but it is the inward journey, one of mutual respect and trust, we should continue today.

At school though, I found history boring and too focused on memorising dates. It was only whilst doing research for my late father’s biography, that I discovered how wonderful our history really is. I was inspired by Charles Dickens’s A Child’s History of England and decided to write a book for all Malaysia’s children, including, of course, my own son and daughter. A Children’s History of Malaysia turned history into a narrative. It became a bestseller and has even been translated into Japanese and published by the Japanese School in Johor.

This year, I published History of Malaysia – A Children’s Encyclopedia. I hope that with its full colour illustrations and attractive layout it will draw even more children, and perhaps adults too, to the subject. It is also designed as a reference book as all historical information is divided into different sections and time periods.

It also includes, for the first time, a colourful and detailed time chart of Malaysia’s history. For me, the encyclopedia is a celebration of our fascinating past.

I am sometimes asked which “side of history” I have taken. My reply is that history should be taught in an all-inclusive, unbiased manner, without political undertones.

I know that some have objected to terms like “ketuanan Melayu” being used in text books and allege that the contributions of other races have been downplayed. When it comes to teaching world history, others feel that there has been an over emphasis on Islamic civilisation. I am pleased to say that the contents of my encyclopedia are uncontroversial and politically neutral.

Our unique history has created a country in which people of many different races, religions and cultures now live peacefully. Prior to independence, some feared that as soon as British rule was over, the locals would turn against each other

As our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, wrote in his regular column in this newspaper 34 years ago: “Each race was wary of the others, each wished to preserve their own identity, safeguard its own interests … the crux of the problem of unity in diversity was simple to state but not easy to solve; it meant patience, tolerance, confidence and quiet persuasion, and such necessary qualities must be given and shared by all”.

Today, we can proudly say, after more than half a century as an independent nation, Malaysia is often held up as an example of how harmony can be achieved in a multiracial society.

Recently, an upcoming Malay sculptor held an exhibition of his works. The art gallery was owned by a Chinese Buddhist lady and the exhibition was officially opened by a Hindu Indian doctor, an ex-Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore.

The sculptures were bought by Malays, Chinese and Indians who were either Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or Christians. Where else in the world could you find this? Only Malaysia. This is but one example of such multi-ethnic harmony from the many that occurs daily across the nation.

Though Malaysia is undeniably a success story, we cannot be complacent. We should revisit that classroom with the aim of promoting even greater unity, for what is learnt in school, from primary to secondary, will be taken into adult life. Classrooms all over the country could further cultivate not only mutual trust of other races but stronger ethics too.

For in an increasingly complex 21st century, we do require moral principles to guide us. An ethically-minded society will be a harmonious one. A person with better moral values will naturally have a greater understanding of all Malaysians of whatever race or creed. Everyone is viewed as a fellow human being. A person of such integrity will lead a better, more meaningful life and will necessarily, together with other virtuous citizens, create an even better nation.

Such moral integrity can forge a unity that will be the envy of the world.

Tunku Halim 45, the youngest son of the late Tunku Abdullah of Negri Sembilan, is a well-known horror fiction writer. His blog is at http://tunkuhalim.wordpress.com

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