When I was 14, I argued with a friend of mine about his views on JWW Birch abolishing the slavery system in Perak, which then, among many other reasons, led him to his death. It was the first time I was knocked with some sense that not everything in our history textbook is in the narrative that the authors want us to believe. 

I was in disbelief when my friend told me that what Birch did was not wrong. His reason - slavery is indeed wrong anyway. But being 14 years old and as childish as I was, I immediately questioned his patriotism. From my point of view at that time, he was sympathizing with Birch. Standing with what the colonizer did could only mean one thing, that you're not being patriotic enough. 

More to me being angry was because I truly believe that history was whatever that appears on the pages of my history textbooks. If the textbook says that this particular person is bad, then it only feels right and patriotic to believe it and adopt such a view as well. History has made it clear who are the heroes and villains of our nation. It has labelled Birch as the villain colonizer who came and changed whatever did not suit him, thus it's only right to hate him for whatever he did. After all, why would history lie, right?

But growing older, I no longer believe that history is every single thing that appears in our textbooks. I learned that in every civilization, history is written by the winning party. While in Malaysia, it is much more accurate to say that history is written by the ruling party. 

There is much more to our history, of this beloved nation, that is not being highlighted and presented fairly in our history textbooks. There are sides to the so-called heroes and villains of our country. I think, without the freedom of information and access to information that comes with the internet, we might not know more about our own history. Especially the important facts of how we gained our independence. 

Anyway, what brought back this piece of memory was this one documentary performance titled 'A Notional History', which I had the opportunity to watch on the 25th June 2022.







Watching the documentary performance reminded me of the realization I discovered when I was slightly older and it then brings back this reflection. It was truly a refreshing experience. It was eye-opening, and I left the room with different perspectives and new knowledge.


Of course, I do have my reservation of the end message. Even more when the topic concerns something very controversial and taboo. But I do agree that we should not be dictated by how to think, especially when important events were erased and never mentioned to our generation simply because they did not fit the narrative that benefits the authorities. I mean, I never heard about Hartal Tanah Melayu 1947 and Revolusi 1948, but I learned that it is actually a very significant part of our history. So why was it not mentioned or taught to us in school?

Anyway, I still think it will be very difficult to change the status quo now. But perhaps, the best way forward is to make people realize that history is whatever had happened, instead of who was right or wrong, and maybe, we don't need to be told who to adore and who to hate. Maybe, the generation learning about it should be given the power to decide about it themselves. 

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