History Textbook Review

7/30/2019 History Textbook Review

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Ranjit Singh Malhi

THE ISLAMIC ANDMALAY-CENTRIC

NATURE OF OURHISTORY

TEXTBOOKS


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1. Objectives of History Teaching.

2. Biased History Textbooks.

3. Half-Truths and Factual Errors in OurHistory Textbooks.

4. Historical Death of Yap Ah Loy andMalaysian Freedom Fighters.

5. Ketuanan Melayu and Special Positionof Malays.

6. Recommendations.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE


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We lie to our students. We lie

to them by omitting parts of our

history; by reinventing other parts;

by glamourising aspects of it at the

expense of other aspects. Our youthare not given the whole picture;

not told the true story.

Ms. Johnson Nga (ex-principalof Methodist Girls Secondary

School, Malacca)


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Provide an objective, truthful andbalanced account of Malaysian andWorld History

Promote inter-ethnic relations andforge greater national unity

Develop a sense of national identityand instil patriotism

Promote critical thinking among students

OBJECTIVES OF HISTORY TEACHING


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Factually accurate

Generally objective

Well-balanced

Devoid of value judgements

GOOD HISTORY TEXTBOOKS


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All serious historical writing must

respect all nations, ethnic groups,religions and cultures. ... The

historians role is not to make

value judgements about historicalfacts but to try to establish them

more accurately ...

Muhammad Adnan Bakhit

History of Humani ty, Vol.4, UNESCO,2000


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Islamic and Malay-centric biased

Some half-truths

Numerous factual errors and

contradictions

Politically motivated

OUR HISTORY TEXTBOOKS


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BIASED HISTORY TEXTBOOKS

1. Downplay the roles of thenon-Malays in the development ofour nation and its independence.

2. Scant attention given to thecontribution of the Chinese and

Indians in the development of thetin mining and rubber industries.


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3. Lopsided emphasis on IslamicCivilization.

Five out of ten chapters (116 out of284 pages or41%)of the currentForm Four history textbook deal withIslamic history

Earlier Form 4 history textbook hadonly one chapter (39 out of 231 pages

or17%)on Islamic history


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Quotation from the Quran (page

101) besides Islamic teachings andreligious terms

Undue emphasis given to trivial

matters and unimportant

personalities which are of no

historical significance (e.g. Hanif

religion, al-Basus War, Abu Lahaband Bilal bin Rafah)


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4. Do not tell the whole truth.

Omits the fact that the founder ofMalacca (Parameswara) was a Hinduprince from Palembang who died a

Hindu

Gives wrong impression thatIndian-Gurkha, Australian and

British soldiers did not fightcourageously in defending Malayaduring the Japanese onslaught,unlike the Malay Regiment


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Tentera British di Tanah Melayu yang terdiri daripada

askar-askar India-Gurkha, Australia dan British tidakmampu menyekat kemaraan tentera Jepun. Mereka

terpaksa berundur ke selatan. Bandar-bandar utama

dari utara ke selatan jatuh satu per satu ke tangan

tentera Jepun. Di samping itu, tentera British

sememangnya tidak berhasrat mempertahankan

Tanah Melayu dengan bersungguh-sungguh kecuali

Singapura. Tumpuan mereka ialah mempertahankan

negara Britain daripada serangan tentera Paksi di

Eropah. Sebaliknya, Rejimen Askar Melayupimpinan Leftenan Adnan telah berjuang

bermati-matian mempertahankan Tanah Melayu.

Form 3 History Textbook, page 11

HALF-TRUTH


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Thousands of Punjabi (mainly Sikhs), Gurkha,British and Australian soldiers died defendingMalaya during the Japanese onslaught

In the Battle of Kampar,Indian-Gurkha and British soldiersfought courageously andtemporarily halted the advance

of Japanese

33 out of 232 names on Tugu Negaraare Sikhs

HISTORICAL TRUTH


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5. Current Form Four textbook has

reduced more than 25% theamount of text related toChristianity, Hinduism, Buddhism,Confucianism and Taoism ascompared to the earlier textbook(from about 1115 words to about832 words).


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Topic 1991 Edition 2002 Edition

Hinduism c. 275 words c. 202 words

Buddhism c. 283 words c. 165 words

Confucianism c. 337 words c. 100 words

Taoism c. 220 words c. 151 words

Christianity c. 237 words c. 214 words


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6. No coverage of some famous

Malaysian freedom fighters suchas Gurchan Singh (Lion of

Malaya) and Sybil Karthigesu

who resisted the Japanese

Occupation of Malaya.


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GURCHAN SINGH

Gurchan wrote and secretlydistributed a newspaper during

the Japanese Occupation of Malaya

His wartime exploits were contained

in a textbook, Heroes o f Malaya,

widely used in Malayan schools(1950s)


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Sybil Karthigesu and herhusband treated woundedguerrillas of the MalayanPeoples Anti-Japanese Army

Although tortured by the Japanese,she did not give up

A woman of principle withtremendous courage

SYBIL KARTHIGESU


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YAP AH LOY

1. Current Form 2 history textbook(page 153) has downplayed therole of Yap Ah Loy in developingKuala Lumpur. It has just one

sentence (not even in the maintext) on Yap Ah Loy:

Yap Ah Loy antara orang yang

bertanggungjawab membangunkanKuala Lumpur.


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HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OFYAP AH LOY

... his [Yap Ah Loy] perseverance

alone, I believe, has kept the Chinese

in the country [Malaya].

Frank Swettenham

Down to 1879, Yap Ah Loy wasMr. Kuala Lumpur.

J. M. Gullick


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Yap Ah Loy did more than anyone to

establish the little township destinedto become Malayas capital.

J. Kennedy

Kuala Lumpur was another town

created by the enterprise of the

Chinese.Margaret Shennan


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Event Textbook Authoritative Sources

Outbreak ofAmerican War of

Independence

1776(Form 5, p. 67)

1775 (EncyclopaediaBritannica, Daniel

Roselle)

Date offormation of

Sabah Alliance

Party

1961(Form 5, p. 143) 1962 (Cecilia Leong,A.J. Stockwell)

Age at whichSiddharta

Gautama started

searching for the

truth about life

39 years(Form 4, p. 65)

29 years(Encyclopaedia

Britannica, Daniel

Roselle, T. Walter.

Wallbank, et al.)

FACTUAL ERRORS IN HISTORY TEXTBOOKS


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VALUE JUDGEMENTS IN OURFORM FOUR HISTORY TEXTBOOK

Baginda merupakan ketua keluarga yangpatut dicontohi kerana kepimpinannya

serta sifat pengasihnya dan timbang

rasanya.

Kemunculan tamadun Islam memberirahmat kepada seluruh manusia .

unsur-unsur Islam boleh dipraktikkan

dalam sesebuah negara yang terdiri

daripada berbilang bangsa dan agama.


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Bagi penganut Kristian, agama inidikatakan telah diasaskan oleh Jesus

Christ yang berasal dari Jerusalem

No main teachings of Christianity, unlike

earlier textbook

Coverage reduced by about 10%

Form 4 History Textbook, page 66

CHRISTIANITY IN HISTORY TEXTBOOK


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Concept introduced in current Form 3textbook (page 45)

Ketuanan Melayu ditakrifkan sebagaisemangat cinta akan apa saja yang

berkaitan dengan bangsa Melayu

seperti hak politik, bahasa, kebudayaan,warisan, adat istiadat dan tanah air

KETUANAN MELAYU


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Malay dominance

Malays are the masters

Non-Malays are pendatang

IMPLICATIONS OF KETUANAN MELAYU


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Ringkasnya, kemajuan dan kemakmuran Tanah

Melayu telah berjaya menarik minat imigran untuk

datang ke sini dan keadaan ini berterusan hingga kini.

Kita seharusnya berbangga dengan negara kita yang

menjadi tumpuan pendatang asing kerana kekayaan

dan kemakmurannya. Di satu sudut yang lain pula,

masyarakat tempatan seharusnya lebih giat,berinisiatif dan bersedia mengusahakan sendiri

kekayaan negara, terutamanya bagi mereka yang

tidak bermodal besar. Jika tidak, orang asing yang

sentiasa mengintai peluang untuk mengambil ruangtersebut, akan mengambil alih peranan kita, seperti

yang berlaku pada hari ini.

Form Five History Textbook, page 255


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A temporary measure to ensuretheir [Malay] survival in the modern

competitive world

A temporary handicap as in golf

Should not apply in perpetuity

Tun Dr. Ismail bin Abdul Rahman

SPECIAL POSITION OF MALAYS


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RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The Form 1-5 History textbooks

should be reviewed to ensurefactual accuracy and consistency,objectivity and a balanced account

of our nation's history.

2. The advisory panel and writers shouldbe drawn from various ethnic groups.

3. History textbooks should be devoid ofvalue judgements.


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4. Writers chosen should be those who

have content mastery, are meticulous

(pay attention to details) and with aproven track record.

5. The teaching and learning of History

should be geared towards enhancing

deep learning, critical thinking,

information literacy and presentationskills of our students and not merely

for memorization and to pass exams.


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6. History should be taught in a lively

and interesting manner using variousinstructional strategies (e.g. debates,

discussions, group presentations,

document studies, video clips) andnot limited to the traditional lecture

method. Students should not be mere

spectators in the teaching and

learning process. Active learning

should be promoted.


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Thank

Y !

History Textbook Review

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